§2251 — Title 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates an Inland Waterway Users Board made of 11 members picked by the Secretary, with one member as chair. Members must come from different parts of the country and represent the main commercial users of inland and intracoastal waterways. The Board must be balanced based on ton-mile shipments. The Secretary of the Army must name an observer. The Secretaries of Agriculture, Transportation, and Commerce may also name observers. The Board must meet at least twice a year and give advice to the Secretary and to Congress about inland waterways and harbors. It must give recommendations before the President’s budget and again within 60 days after the budget is sent to Congress. The Board also advises on feasibility reports, cost increases, construction and repair priorities, and on a long-term capital investment plan. The chair picks a Board member to advise project teams, and that member and the chair may sign project plans. The Secretary must update the Board at least quarterly about studies, designs, and construction, and share completed feasibility reports. Within 1 year after June 10, 2014, the Secretary and the Board must send Congress a 20-year capital investment program using objective national criteria and considering the 2010 IMTS report. The program must try to cover all regions and use funds efficiently. The program must be reviewed and updated at least every 5 years starting not later than 5 years after June 10, 2014. The Board follows federal advisory rules, its members are not “special Government employees,” and non‑federal members may be paid travel expenses.

Title 33, §2251

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is hereby established an Inland Waterway Users Board (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Users Board”) composed of the eleven members selected by the Secretary, one of whom shall be designated by the Secretary as Chairman. The members shall be selected so as to represent various regions of the country and a spectrum of the primary users and shippers utilizing the inland and intracoastal waterways for commercial purposes. Due consideration shall be given to assure a balance among the members based on the ton-mile shipments of the various categories of commodities shipped on inland waterways. The Secretary of the Army shall designate, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Transportation, and Commerce may each designate, a representative to act as an observer of the Users Board.

(b)(1)The Users Board shall meet not less frequently than semiannually to develop and make recommendations to the Secretary and Congress regarding the inland waterways and inland harbors of the United States.

(2)For commercial navigation features and components of the inland waterways and inland harbors of the United States, the Users Board shall provide—

(A)prior to the development of the budget proposal of the President for a given fiscal year, advice and recommendations to the Secretary regarding construction and rehabilitation priorities and spending levels;

(B)advice and recommendations to Congress regarding any feasibility report for a project on the inland waterway system that has been submitted to Congress pursuant to section 2282d of this title;

(C)advice and recommendations to Congress regarding an increase in the authorized cost of those features and components;

(D)not later than 60 days after the date of the submission of the budget proposal of the President to Congress, advice and recommendations to Congress regarding construction and rehabilitation priorities and spending levels; and

(E)advice and recommendations on the development of a long-term capital investment program in accordance with subsection (d).

(3)The chairperson of the Users Board shall appoint a representative of the Users Board to serve as an advisor to the project development team for a qualifying project or the study or design of a commercial navigation feature or component of the inland waterways and inland harbors of the United States.

(4)Any advice or recommendation made by the Users Board to the Secretary shall reflect the independent judgment of the Users Board.

(c)The Secretary shall—

(1)communicate not less frequently than once each quarter to the Users Board the status of the study, design, or construction of all commercial navigation features or components of the inland waterways or inland harbors of the United States; and

(2)submit to the Users Board a courtesy copy of all completed feasibility reports relating to a commercial navigation feature or component of the inland waterways or inland harbors of the United States.

(d)(1)Not later than 1 year after June 10, 2014, the Secretary, in coordination with the Users Board, shall develop and submit to Congress a report describing a 20-year program for making capital investments on the inland and intracoastal waterways based on the application of objective, national project selection prioritization criteria.

(2)In developing the program under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take into consideration the 20-year capital investment strategy contained in the Inland Marine Transportation System (IMTS) Capital Projects Business Model, Final Report published on April 13, 2010, as approved by the Users Board.

(3)In developing the plan and prioritization criteria under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that investments made under the 20-year program described in paragraph (1)—

(A)are made in all geographical areas of the inland waterways system; and

(B)ensure efficient funding of inland waterways projects.

(4)Not later than 5 years after June 10, 2014, and not less frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, in coordination with the Users Board, shall—

(A)submit to Congress and make publicly available a strategic review of the 20-year program in effect under this subsection, which shall identify and explain any changes to the project-specific recommendations contained in the previous 20-year program (including any changes to the prioritization criteria used to develop the updated recommendations); and

(B)make revisions to the program, as appropriate.

(e)The chairperson of the Users Board and the project development team member appointed by the chairperson under subsection (b)(3) may sign the project management plan for the qualifying project or the study or design of a commercial navigation feature or component of the inland waterways and inland harbors of the United States.

(f)(1)The Users Board shall be subject to chapter 10 of title 5, other than section 1013, and, with the consent of the appropriate agency head, the Users Board may use the facilities and services of any Federal agency.

(2)For the purposes of complying with chapter 10 of title 5, the members of the Users Board shall not be considered special Government employees (as defined in section 202 of title 18).

(3)Non-Federal members of the Users Board while engaged in the performance of their duties away from their homes or regular places of business, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(202)(A), substituted “chapter 10 of title 5, other than section 1013,” for “the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), other than section 14,”. Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(202)(B), substituted “chapter 10 of title 5,” for “the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.),”. 2014—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 113–121, § 2002(d)(1), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Users Board shall meet at least semi-annually to develop and make recommendations to the Secretary regarding

Construction

and rehabilitation priorities and spending levels on the commercial navigational features and components of the inland waterways and inland harbors of the United States for the following fiscal years. Any advice or recommendation made by the Users Board to the Secretary shall reflect the independent judgment of the Users Board. Notwithstanding section 3003 of Public Law 104–66 (31 U.S.C. 1113 note; 109 Stat. 734), the Users Board shall, by December 31, 1987, and annually thereafter file such recommendations with the Secretary and with the Congress.” Subsecs. (c) to (f). Pub. L. 113–121, § 2002(d)(2), added subsecs. (c) to (f) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Users Board shall be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, other than section 14, and, with the consent of the appropriate agency head, the Users Board may use the facilities and services of any Federal agency. Non-Federal members of the Users Board while engaged in the performance of their duties away from their homes or regular places of business, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5.” 1999—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–109, in last sentence, substituted “Notwithstanding section 3003 of Public Law 104–66 (31 U.S.C. 1113 note; 109 Stat. 734), the” for “The”.

§2251 Inland Waterways Users Board