This article has been reprinted from the April 16 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) has released a report produced on the value of investment in the marine transportation system, including both ports and inland waterways.
Produced for CMTS by Inforum at the University of Maryland, the study explored four scenarios: one baseline (with continued status quo investment) and three scenarios with increased investment.
The researchers found increased investment would yield between 54,700 and 182,500 additional jobs over baseline by 2025 and, by 2030, additional gross domestic product (GDP) over baseline would be $8 billion to $41 billion.
This outcome represents a $2-3 return on investment per dollar spent. Citing a 2019 USDA/AMS report on the importance of the inland waterways, the study noted investment in waterway infrastructure is critical to continued U.S. competitiveness in the global soybean trade.