[bell-cot]

> Transporting freight via river systems is cheaper and greener than using road and rail.

True - so long as the navigable waterways reach the points which you need to ship from & to. And the cargo isn't particularly time-sensitive. And exceptional droughts do not lower the rivers so far that "navigable" is only on paper, and not on the no-longer-there water. That last issue is getting to be a major problem this year.

Edit: Also recall that in the northern parts of the U.S., even the largest navigable waterways may close down for a few months every winter, due to ice / winter storms / etc.