Wednesday, the House voted 404 to 17 to approve a barge fuel tax increase that goes from 20 cents a gallon to 29 cents beginning in April. Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek says the measure if it passes the Senate and is signed by the President will help with reconstruction of aging locks on the Mississippi River and other inland waterways.
Steenhoek says what helped get the bill through the House and hopefully will get it through the Senate is it’s attachment to the ABLE Act which authorizes new tax savings accounts for people with disabilities.
The House Ways and Means Committee added the barge tax increase to the ABLE Act to help offset its cost, although barge revenue has historically gone for waterway improvements.