H.R. 7590. Energy and Water Appropriations. The vote is on the Chafee amendment to remove $200 million that was to be spent on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This is a proposed 450 mile barge canal connecting the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. It is known as the "$3 billion ditch" because the costs of the project keep rising and now exceed $3 billion. The environmental impacts are devastating. It would destroy over 100,000 acres of farmland, forests and wildlife habitat. The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to claim benefits for the project that do not exist, because the area already has an extensive rail system to move freight and the nearby Mississippi River is used for barge traffic. The project would involve using more earth than was used to build the Panama Canal. The Administration opposed the amendment to cut funding. September 10, 1980. Rejected 37-52. YES is the correct vote.