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Water
Resources Development Act (WRDA) and Section 214 update
The last WRDA bill was passed in 2000. Typically, it is biennial
legislation, and it is now approaching four years overdue. PNWA strongly
supports the passage of a WRDA this year, and has joined with other
navigation and economic development groups nationwide to encourage the Senate
leadership to schedule this bill for floor time and a vote. PNWA was
successful in securing the signatures of all six Northwest Senators on a WRDA
support letter signed by 78 Senators, which was delivered to Senate Majority
Leader Frist in early February. For a copy of the letter, visit www.pnwa.net
The House passed their WRDA bill (H.R.2864) by a vote of 406 � 14 on July 14,
2005. The Senate version of WRDA (S.728) was reported out of the Senate
Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee on April 13, 2005. It has
since been stalled, and has not been scheduled for floor debate or a full Senate
vote. The letter referenced above demonstrates to Senator Frist that the
Senate overwhelmingly supports floor time for consideration of this bill. If
the Senate passes their bill, a conference committee will still need to be
held to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the
bills.
Unfortunately, in the weeks since that letter went to Sen. Frist, two
Administration officials have made comments that could be hurtful to WRDA
passage. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley
(civilian head of the Corps of Engineers) sent a letter to OMB in mid-January
claiming that lock replacement on the Upper Miss should be put on hold.
Shortly after that, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns told reporters that
while the Administration supports waterways, funding for new locks and dams
on the Upper Miss isn't necessary as they are working well and have been
receiving ongoing maintenance. These comments from Administration officials
are detrimental to the overall momentum that has been generated for WRDA
passage, as the Upper Miss lock projects constitute a large portion of the
bill.
For a full copy of all PNWA supported language in the two WRDA bills, visit www.pnwa.net
Section 214
As reported in previous Nor�westers, PNWA has been working for some time on
extensions for Section 214 of WRDA 2000, and to eventually make it permanent.
Section 214 allows ports and other public agencies to fund Corps of Engineers
regulatory positions for the review of permits. Given the tremendous backlog
in permit applications, and the low funding levels for the Corps regulatory
program, this has been a very important tool for PNWA members. Last fall we
worked with Rep. Brian Baird�s staff to sponsor a stand-alone bill to extend
the Section 214 authority to March 31, 2006 (H.R.3765), which was signed by
the President (P.L.109-99) ..
Since it is highly unlikely that a WRDA bill would pass by March 31st, PNWA
is now working with the staff of Rep. Brian Baird (D, WA-3) and Sen. Patty
Murray (D-WA) on identical extension bills. These bills would extend the
authority to December 31, 2006. This was the consensus strategy that emerged
from a PNWA DC lobby trip in early February, when our staff and several PNWA
members met with the Northwest Congressional delegation, the House
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I), Senate Environment
& Public Works Committee (EPW), and the Corps. We are pleased to report
that the entire Northwest (WA/OR/ID) House delegation has signed on to Rep.
Baird�s bill (H.R.4826) as original co-sponsors, and we have also secured
five members of the CA House delegation. Senator Murray�s bill (S.2338)
features both Senator Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Wyden (D-OR) as original
co-sponsors. We are currently working with other members to secure their
support as well.
PNWA is also working to eventually make this authority permanent through a
WRDA bill. Currently, we are pleased to report that such language is included
in the Senate version of WRDA.
For more information on Section 214, visit www.pnwa.net
Contact Kristin Meira, 503-234-8556
Update
on the President�s FY2007 Budget
The President�s
budget was released on February 6th. When compared with general funding
levels for Northwest navigation projects in previous years, the levels
included in the budget this year showed an overall improvement. However,
shortfalls still remain. Following is a snapshot of PNWA-supported projects,
indicating those we believe are adequately funded, and those needing
additional funds in the appropriations process.
PNWA supports the President�s budget proposal for the following projects.
Unless noted, all are part of the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) portion
of the Corps budget:� Lower Columbia River Ecosystem Restoration
(construction project)
� Columbia River between Vancouver and The Dalles
� The Dalles Lock and Dam
� John Day Lock and Dam
� McNary Lock and Dam
� Ice Harbor Lock and Dam
� Little Goose Lock and Dam
� Coquille River (Port of Bandon, OR)
� Umpqua River (Port of Umpqua, OR)
� Humboldt Harbor & Bay (Port of Humboldt, CA)
PNWA supports additional funding for the following projects: Unless noted,
all are part of the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) portion of the
Corps budget:
- Columbia
River Channel Improvement deepening project (construction project) -
$15M is in the budget, PNWA supports $40M for the project; the
additional $25M will provide a deepened channel (43�) from the ocean to
the Ports of Longview & Kalama, WA
- Columbia
River at the Mouth - $18.273M is
in the budget, PNWA supports $20.789M (additional $2.316M for the
jetties)
- Columbia and Lower Willamette - $15.945M is in the
budget, PNWA supports $18.509M (additional $2.564M for maintenance
dredging and Dredge Material Management Plans - DMMPs)
- Lower
Monumental Dam - $17.198M is in the budget, PNWA supports $20.848M
($550,000 for immediate lock repairs plus an additional $3.1M to begin
lock rehabilitation project plans and specifications)
- Lower
Granite Lock and Dam - $6.78M is in the budget, PNWA supports $7.0M
($220,000 for lock repairs)
- Bonneville
Lock and Dam - $17.529M is in the budget, PNWA supports $17.849M
($320,000 for mooring dolphins)
- Elliott Bay
Seawall - not in the President�s budget, PNWA supports $1.5M for a
General Investigation study
- Humboldt
Bay Long Term Sediment Management
Plan � not in the President�s budget, PNWA supports $500K for this
project
- Most
coastal ports in Oregon and Washington need additional O&M funding,
including: Chetco River (Brookings Harbor, OR); Coos Bay, OR; Rogue
River at Gold Beach, OR; Siuslaw River, OR; Tillamook Bay and Bar
(Garibaldi, OR), Yaquina Bay and Harbor (Newport, OR), Yaquina River (Toledo,
OR), Westport Slough, OR; Columbia River at Baker Bay (Ilwaco, WA),
Columbia River between Chinook and Sand Is. (Chinook, WA), Swinomish
Channel (Skagit Co., WA).
Visit www.pnwa.net
and download a copy of PNWA�s FY 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations request
document for a full list of our supported projects.
In reviewing the President's budget, one of the most striking changes is the
way in which the Columbia River Fish Mitigation environmental project has
been funded. This project has always been a stand alone project in the
Construction portion of the budget. However, this year it has been broken up
and parts of it have been distributed over the eight navigation projects on
the Columbia Snake River System. This makes the O&M numbers associated
with these projects look deceivingly large. For example, in FY2006 the Dalles
Dam received a final appropriation of $3,877,000. For FY2007, the number
associated with the project in the President's budget is $39,732,000.
However, a detailed breakdown of costs reveals that $36,300,000 is actually
for the Columbia River Fish Mitigation project, and only $3,432,000 is actually
intended for operations & maintenance (O&M) at the project. PNWA is
quite concerned about how this will affect future funding and performance
measures, and plans to address this concern at the 2006 PNWA Mission to Washington next week.
Contact Kristin Meira, 503-234-8556
Salmon recovery update
Hatcheries
& harvest
On January 25th, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chairman
James L. Connaughton addressed the Salmon 2100 Conference in Portland, OR . In his remarks, he outlined the Administration�s desire to take a closer
look at policies governing harvest of ESA-listed Northwest fish, and hatchery
practices that might be detrimental to species recovery. PNWA has long
supported an �all-H� (harvest, hatcheries, habitat, hydro) approach to salmon
recovery, and is pleased that the Administration is shining a light on areas
that have been neglected, due to the tremendous focus on hydro operations.
We are also pleased to report on a collaborative effort by Representatives
Norm Dicks (D, WA-6), Brian Baird (D, WA-3) and Greg Walden (R, OR-2) to
examine federal policies governing the harvest of ESA-listed fish in our
region. So far, the Congressmen have held three public forums in an effort to
jumpstart this discussion: October 11th in Vancouver, WA, October 12th in Tacoma, WA, and February 21st in Pendleton, OR. Another meeting will be scheduled soon, to
take place near the mouth of the Columbia. PNWA is strongly supportive of
this effort, and applauds these members for making the effort to focus on an
issue that tends to arouse strong passions.
Biological Opinion lawsuit
Judge Redden remanded the BiOp to NOAA Fisheries, instructing them to produce
a new BiOp by October 2006. During the remand period, Judge Redden ordered
NOAA and the action agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of
Reclamation, to collaborate with the four Northwest states and the four
Tribes involved in the case to develop the process and content for the new
BiOp. Non-sovereign parties to the lawsuit, including navigation, power and
agricultural interests are not included in that collaboration. However, the
sovereigns have made great efforts to include these interests as observers in
regular conference calls and meetings to discuss the progress of their work.
The federal agencies are also required to report to Judge Redden on their
progress quarterly, beginning in January 2006. Recently, the environmental
groups that are the plaintiffs in the suit have filed a motion to extend the
due date for the new BiOp by five months. Judge Redden has not ruled on this
motion as yet.
Contact Glenn Vanselow, 503-234-8551
New Coast Guard commandant
nominated
President Bush
has announced that he will nominate Vice Admiral Thad Allen to serve as the
next Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. He would replace Admiral Thomas
Collins, who plans to retire in May. The Commandant position is a four year
term.
Allen is currently the Coast Guard�s Chief of Staff. In that position, he is
in charge of the Coast Guard�s planning and budget. He is expected to
continue with many of those same duties in his new position. He has also
taken a major leadership role in coordinating the government�s response to
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast.
PNWA welcomes new member:
Port of Valdez, AK
PNWA is proud
to announce the Port of Valdez, AK as a new member. The Port of Valdez serves as the gateway to the interior of Alaska, and their facilities include a
container terminal with 700� floating dock, 21 acre marshalling yard, grain
terminal, 600� city dock, and Alaska�s first Foreign-Trade Zone. The Port is
interested in working with PNWA on WRDA issues as well as energy & water
appropriations. The contact at the Port is Harbormaster Alan Sorum, who is
also the President of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port
Administrators (AAHPA), which joined PNWA last year. Alan can be reached at asorum@ci.valdez.ak.us
or (907) 835-4981. Please visit their website at Port of Valdez.
PNWA welcomes new member:
Jefferson Government Relations
PNWA is pleased
to announce Jefferson Government Relations (JGR) as a new member of our
association. JGR is a mid-sized, bipartisan government affairs firm with
extensive experience successfully pursuing the goals and interests of their
clients before the legislative and executive branches of the Federal
government. Their lobbyists bring a broad range of government experience,
from the Reagan White House to service as a Democratic Member of Congress.
They have staffed both Houses of Congress, both sides of the aisle, and are
proficient in both authorizations and appropriations.
Although the majority of their water-related work is in the State of Florida, the firm�s broader infrastructure portfolio includes clients on both coasts, and their
health care, education and corporate practice is nationwide. They share in
the economic and environmental goals of PNWA, and look forward to providing
services to members who are in need of Washington representation.
The designated contact at JGR is Dennis Kern, who may be reached dkern@jeffersongr.com
or 202-626-8589. Please visit their website at Jefferson
Government Relations.
Member Highlight
PORT OF
VANCOUVER, USA, READY FOR TRADE GROWTH, CHALLENGES
The Port of Vancouver, USA has earned a reputation in the global marketplace
for efficient handling of niche cargo through modern facilities, excellent
labor relations and quality logistics operations while performing a
leadership role in the economic development of the Southwest Washington
region. The Port�s location at the crossroads of ocean-bound and river
shipping lanes, interstate highways and national rail lines is one of its
strongest attributes.
With the completion of over $80 million in renovations to its four marine
terminals and 12 berths, including more than 1.2 million square feet of
dockside warehousing, and another $13 million planned for this year, the Port
is poised to take advantage of rapidly expanding Pacific Rim trade. Its land
bank of over 1,300 acres makes the Vancouver port an attractive destination,
particularly for shippers of automobile imports, bulk and break bulk, and
special projects cargo, who face intense competition from container cargo for
space at other West Coast ports.
An industry award for the damage-free handling of more than 41,000 Subaru
imports, the handling of gigantic components for an 83-unit wind turbine farm
in eastern Washington, and a new export of nearly 200,000 metric tons of
scrap metal are the types of projects that exemplify the Port of Vancouver�s versatility and proficiency in maritime operations.
A key partner in the successful channel deepening effort, the Port of Vancouver is now rallying public and private industry partners along with other
ports to secure funding for expansion of regional road and rail connections
necessary to attract projected trade growth for the economic benefit of our
communities. Visit Port of
Vancouver.
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