A study just released by the Soy Transportation Coalition is recommending public private partnerships to fund improvements on the nation’s inland waterways. Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek says they’re looking at this approach with the lack of federal funding for needed lock and dam construction.

Steenhoek says they’ve targeted a handful of locks that offer the best return on investment for private funding. They’re also suggesting a shift from building new locks and dams to repairing existing infrastructure.

He says this topic will get more attention with the passage of the Water Resources Development Act because the Army Corps of Engineers is mandated in that legislation to look at this funding concept.