Public Comments

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CEERD-HN-C

June 26th, 2026

MEMORANDUM TO:
Mr. Thomas J. Smith
U.S. Census Bureau
SUBJECT: Federal Register notice 91 FR 29449 of May 5, 2026, re: Commodity Flow
Survey
Dear Mr. Smith,
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Navigation R&D program strongly
supports the sustained collection of data by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Commodity
Flow Survey (CFS). The CFS data remain critical to research efforts conducted by the
USACE to better understand the interactions between the marine transportation system
and the broader multimodal freight network as we support American prosperity through
a robust transportation infrastructure network.
The products that result from the CFS data collection effort inform our understanding of
the extent of broader “freight-sheds” (areas which may generate or receive cargo that
passes through an individual port or navigation project), which in turn assist efforts to
improve supply chain resiliency. Without the CFS, and products like the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) that use the CFS as
a foundational input, there would be a huge gap in understanding how American
businesses use the multimodal freight network to provide goods and services around
the entire country. State, Local, and Federal decision-makers are increasingly seeking
more detailed information, both temporal details and geographic details, about how the
infrastructure within their areas of responsibility are utilized, and the CFS is the only
readily available and nation-wide dataset that can provide this information.
The USACE Navigation mission includes 25,000 miles of federally-authorized
navigation channels, over 200 lock and dam structures, and extensive shoreline
protection features. Linking the construction and maintenance of this infrastructure to
the commerce that it supports provides for informed investment decisions.
If you have questions please contact me at [email protected].
signed by
KRESS.MARIN.MA Digitally
KRESS.MARIN.MARIE.1460543467
RIE.1460543467 Date: 2026.06.26 10:51:16 -04'00'

Marin Kress, PhD
Research Physical Scientist, Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Vicksburg, MS