This bill creates a task force focused on getting more freight transported by barge along three rivers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and surrounding states—the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers. The government believes that using these waterways more for shipping goods like agricultural products and coal could help communities that have been hurt by the decline of coal mining and other industries.

The task force will bring together representatives from various federal agencies (like the Department of Transportation, Army Corps of Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency), state governments, and local organizations to work on this goal. Their main jobs will be to study how to increase barge traffic on these rivers, recommend improvements, help connect waterway projects with available funding, and report back annually on their progress. The bill emphasizes that barges are safer, more fuel-efficient, and better for the environment than trucks or trains for moving heavy goods.

To make this happen, Congress is setting aside $5 million per year for ten years (2024-2034) to fund the task force's work. Essentially, the government is trying to revive an older form of transportation—river barges—as a way to boost economic development in regions that have struggled with job losses and economic decline.