The WATERWAYS Act establishes a federal task force focused on increasing freight transportation and economic development along the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela River corridors in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The task force will bring together representatives from multiple federal agencies including Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers, Energy, and Commerce, along with state and local stakeholders, to study how to expand barge transportation and connect projects with available federal, state, and local funding. The legislation emphasizes that barge transport is more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than truck or rail transport, and aims to support economic revitalization in coal communities and regions affected by deindustrialization. The task force will submit annual reports on its recommendations and progress, and the bill authorizes $5 million per year in funding from 2024 through 2034. This initiative is designed to leverage recent major federal investments like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to maximize the economic impact of inland waterway development.