Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, said this week that aging locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers are slowing grain exports and stifling the Midwest farm economy.
The freshman Democrat urged Congress to approve a bill that includes $1.8 billion to build seven new locks and dams along the two rivers.
He said new locks would boost farm profits by moving grain-filled barges through the gates in minutes rather than hours.
Similar bills have stalled in the past amid opposition from conservation and taxpayer groups who question the need for the longer locks and their impact on the environment.