DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) – A U.S. Department of Defense ban this week on non-essential travel and a freeze on government credit cards is causing critical backups of barges used by Decatur industries to get worse, according to shipping officials.
According to WAFF 48’s newspaper partner the Decatur Daily, an issue is the ongoing repairs to Wilson Lock on the Tennessee River in Florence by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a part of the Defense Department. The repairs are scheduled to be completed in mid-June. The lock has been out of service since September, and there is now a 20-day wait for barges to travel through a much smaller auxiliary lock.
A memo this week from the Department of Government Efficiency led the Defense Department to order the spending freeze on civilian employees’ government credit cards, and to require department civilians to cancel all non-essential travel and return from any trips in progress “as soon as feasible.”
Barges sit parked near Veterans Park on Friday in Florence waiting to go through the Wilson Auxiliary Lock.(@Dan Busey | Dan Busey/Decatur Daily)
The freeze, according to Alison Phillips, spokeswoman for the Port of Decatur, a subsidiary of Parker Towing Co., has resulted in the “halting of repairs at Wilson Lock. Without an immediate resolution and the implementation of necessary waivers, this situation could escalate into a serious disruption with severe consequences for commerce and industry in North Alabama.”
“Transit delays caused by reliance on the Wilson Auxiliary Lock have already had a significant economic impact on North Alabama businesses, industries, and supply chains,” Phillips continued in an e-mail.
“The Port of Decatur, along with our regional partners, urges all relevant federal authorities to act swiftly and implement waivers that will allow work to continue without further disruption.”
Jeremy Nails, CEO of Morgan County Port Authority and the Morgan County Economic Development Association, said Decatur industries are already struggling from Wilson Lock being out of commission.
“Many of our local industries and shippers have been negatively impacted for months by the closure of the main Wilson Lock. This news is extremely concerning for the already lengthy timeline for repairing and reopening the main lock,” Nails said
“Decatur’s industrial base was built on, and depends on safe, reliable shipping on the Tennessee River.”
Cline Jones, the Executive Director of the Tennessee River Valley Association/Tennessee-Cumberland Waterways Council, said that the situation was fluid, but he was advised all work would halt until at least Monday while waivers for the Corps workers are sought.
Nails hopes the effort to obtain waivers will be successful.
“Our legislative delegation has been 100% supportive of the necessary Wilson Lock repairs to date. I know they will assist us in finding an immediate solution to this issue. They know our North Alabama and national economy depend on it,” Nails said.
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