Congressmen Planning To Reform U.S. Waterways Tour Port Of Catoosa

The Port of Catoosa is getting some special attention from the federal government as part of a push to update the country's waterway systems.

Representative Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma's second district, and Representative Bill Shuster, of Pennsylvania, toured the port Friday.

Shuster and Mullin are writing the Water Resources Development Act, which could have a big impact on Catoosa and port commerce.

"It's so much cheaper to ship products by water than it is by rail and road, and we have a great infrastructure around here, but if we can't get our product from point A to point B, then it doesn't do us any good to produce it," Mullin said.

"And the Corps of Engineers is central to that. You can't do anything in these channels in the country unless the Corps of Engineers is authorized to do it," Shuster said.

Both congressmen plan to reform how the Corps of Engineers governs ports, so tax dollars can be spent more efficiently and projects can move quicker.