Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate Wednesday to keep the Delta Queen operating on the Mississippi River with support from Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. and others. The Delta Grassroots Caucus commends these senators as well as U.S. Representatives Mike Ross, D-Ark., John Boozman, R-Ark. and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. for doing their part to save the Delta Queen, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is a symbol of the Delta’s legacy and pride in the Delta region.
”We commend the bipartisan supporters of this bill to save a national historic treasure like the Delta Queen, which has an exemplary safety record, generates tourist dollars in impoverished places like Helena-West Helena and New Orleans,” said Lee Powell, Delta Caucus director.
Kevin Smith of Helena-West Helena said, “The Delta Queen has been very important to the Helena-West Helena economy just as any tour boat does for any port, and we strongly urge our Congressional delegation to support this legislation.”
Mayor Carl Redus of Pine Bluff stated, “It’s great that these senators are supporting this national historic treasure that is an icon in the Delta, and the Delta Queen needs to continue attracting visitors for preservation of our region’s legacy as well as for economic development for generations to come.”
In previous years the Delta Queen’s stops have included Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Helena-West Helena and many other communities in the region.
Voinovich introduced the bipartisan legislation to continue the steamboat Delta Queen ’s 40-year exemption from the Safety of Life at Sea Act. It will allow the historic passenger vessel to continue in operation until Nov. 1, 2018.
The Delta Queen is the last traditional steamboat carrying overnight passengers on the Mississippi as well as the Ohio and other tributaries of the Great River. For that reason she has been designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1966, she was inadvertently caught in the technicality of the Safety of Life at Sea Act—a piece of legislation that was intended to cover ocean-going ships, not riverboats. Congress established an exemption for the Delta Queen in 1968.
Since then, the exemption has been renewed nine times, in virtually every case by near-unanimous votes in both the House and the Senate.
Without congressional action, the current exemption will expire on Nov. 1. Maritime engineers have testified that the Delta Queen not only meets but also far surpasses legal safety requirements.
Powell emphasized that the Coast Guard has repeatedly passed the Delta Queen in safety inspections.
“Coast Guard inspector, Marc Kruger, who is the Coast Guard’s top-ranking traveling inspector, has examined the boat 4 or 5 times this season and has taken a 5-day trip on the Queen. He has reported that she is in fine shape to continue in her present mode of travel for years to come,” Powell said.
“The Delta Queen has long been a part of our nation’s heritage and I would like to see that tradition continue for the enjoyment of all Americans. The growing support for the Delta Queen from members of the Senate shows the importance of allowing this historic vessel to continue operating,” said Boozman.
The Delta Queen was built in the mid-20th century and has had tons of safety precautions installed in the last 15 years—from a steel hull to elaborate sprinkler systems to coating all the wood in fire retardant materials to constant safety patrols and many other precautions.
