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Issue 258������������������������������������������������������������������������������
�����December 11, 2006
In this issue:
Section 214 bill arrives on the President�s desk
Registration reminder for the 2007 Mission to Washington, Regional Meetings
Section
214 bill arrives on the President�s desk
We are very pleased to report that the Section 214 extension bill
(H.R.6316) was placed on the President�s desk today, to be signed into
law.� This bill will extend the WRDA
Section 214 authority through December 31, 2008.� It was passed by the House of
Representatives last Tuesday by a voice vote, and then passed in the Senate
last Wednesday under unanimous consent.
PNWA and its membership are very grateful for the tremendous efforts of our
west coast Congressional delegation in seeing this bill through to a speedy
conclusion.� In particular, we would
like to highlight the excellent work of Katie Stevens in the office of Rep.
Brian Baird (D, WA-3) and Carrie Desmond in the office of Sen. Patty Murray
(D-WA) in paving the way for this legislation to be passed during the very
limited lame duck session last week.�
With the WRDA bill stalled, Rep. Baird and Sen. Murray led a group of
co-sponsors from Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and California to ensure that this important
authority would not expire at the end of this month.
Sec. 214 allows ports and other public agencies to provide funds to the Corps
of Engineers to expedite the permitting process. The Corps hires additional
staff to review those projects, but does not give the applicant preferential
treatment. This provision also helps those who do not contribute, by moving
larger projects out of the queue, thus speeding up permit processing for all
applicants. Among the PNWA membership, the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma,
Portland, Vancouver, Coos Bay and Umatilla are all using, and reporting
benefits from, Section 214.
This two-year extension is a major victory, however, PNWA will continue to
the effort to eventually make Section 214 regulatory funding authority
permanent, when the WRDA bill is reintroduced in the next session of
Congress.� To read more about Section
214, visit www.pnwa.net and click on �Action Agenda�.
�
Registration
reminder for the 2007 Mission to Washington, Regional Meetings
2007 Mission to
Washington
Sunday, March 4th, 2007 through Friday, March 9th, 2007
Online registration is open and space is limited, so be
sure to make plans early to attend PNWA�s 2007 Mission to Washington.� Our highly anticipated annual event is a
rare opportunity for members to speak candidly with the nation's top
decision-makers from the Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies,
Members of Congress and their staff, and industries that affect the
Northwest.
This year�s Mission will be held at the
beautiful Washington
Court Hotel
on Capitol Hill, where we will meet with agency and industry leaders,
followed by two days of meeting one-on-one with every member of our Northwest
Congressional Delegation.� PNWA will
also be hosting our signature �Taste the Northwest� Capitol Hill Reception
where we bring the great flavors of our region to Washington as a �thank you� to our D.C
friends.� This is a great way for PNWA
members to get to know the legislators, federal agency officials, and
Congressional staff whose decisions impact our region.
This is a rare opportunity, and registration is limited, so don't miss
out!� Click HERE to register today or log on to www.pnwa.net, click on �Events�, then click
on �2007 Mission to Washington�.
2007 Regional Meetings
Portland/Vancouver Regional Meeting: Thursday, February 8, 2007
Puget Sound Regional Meeting: Monday February 12, 2007
Tri-Cities Regional Meeting: Thursday February 15, 2007
In preparation for our 2007 Mission to Washington, register at www.pnwa.net
today for one of our Regional Meetings!�
They are free to all members and are a great way to update the PNWA
staff on your latest projects and issues before we head to the Capitol!� You do NOT need to register for the Mission to Washington
to attend the Regional Meetings.
If you have any questions regarding the 2007 Mission to Washington or
Regional Meetings or need assistance registering, please contact Heather
Kenneson at 503-234-8553 (direct) or heather.kenneson@pnwa.net.
Pacific Northwest Waterways
Association�������������������������������
www.pnwa.net
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