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In this issue:
PNWA provisions included as House
overwhelmingly passes 2007 WRDA bill
PNWA welcomes new member Ukiah Engineering, Inc.
Oregon Department of Transportation seeking information to develop Freight
Mobility Planning project
PNWA provisions included
as House overwhelmingly passes 2007 WRDA bill
Overview
Yesterday, the U.S. House of
Representatives overwhelmingly voted to approve a 2007 Water Resources
Development Act (WRDA).� The bill
(H.R.1495) was passed by a vote of 394 to 25, and all House members from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana
voted in favor of the measure.� Focus
now turns to the Senate, which has its own version of WRDA that was
reported out of the Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) on March
29th.� The next step is
for the full Senate to approve that bill.�
A conference committee of select members from the EPW and House
Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committees will then be
named, and will be charged with reconciling the differences between the two
bills.� The compromise document that
is produced needs to be approved again by both chambers, and only then
would it head to the President�s desk to be signed into law.� This legislation is meant to be biennial,
but the last WRDA bill was in 2000.
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West coast hopper dredges
The manager�s amendment that
accompanied the House WRDA bill to the floor contained PNWA�s supported language that would remove
operating restrictions from the Essayons and Yaquina.
The manager�s amendment was adopted through a voice vote at the beginning
of floor consideration for WRDA yesterday.�
We are pleased to report that this now puts the House and Senate
WRDA bills in agreement on the Essayons and Yaquina, with matching language lifting restrictions on
the number of days these federal hopper dredges may perform work.� For more information on these dredges,
visit www.pnwa.net.
Section 214
�Section 214� was first authorized
in WRDA 2000, and has been the subject of a great deal of PNWA and
stakeholder efforts to avert sunset over the last few years.� This authority allows non-federal government
entities to provide additional funding for Corps regulatory activities, and
is currently authorized through December 31, 2008.� The House WRDA bill included an extension
of the authority through 2010, which is a good start.� However, PNWA will be urging conferees to
accept the Senate WRDA language released a few weeks ago, which would make
the authority permanent.� To download
PNWA�s fact sheet on Section 214, please visit www.pnwa.net.
Additional PNWA provisions
Other PNWA-supported provisions
contained in the House WRDA bill include deed restriction provisions for
the Ports of Lewiston and Pasco, a siltation
study for the Ports of Ilwaco and Chinook,
language regarding the Port of Sunnyside�s aquatic ecosystem restoration
project on the Yakima River, a provision allowing seismic considerations
and additional non-federal funding for the Elliott Bay Seawall study, and
dredge material placement provision for Puget Island in Wahkiakum County.
Amendments
Besides the previously mentioned
manager�s amendment, several other WRDA amendments were offered for
consideration yesterday.� Following
is a short description of amendments of interest to PNWA members:
Stupak amendment: This amendment is
similar to an amendment that Rep. Bart Stupak (D, MI-1) introduced when the
House last voted on a WRDA bill, in July 2005.� It would change the budgeting criteria
used by the Corps for so-called low-use channels and harbors back to FY2004
budget guidelines, in an effort to capture more of the uses and benefits
associated with these projects.� The
amendment was accepted on a voice vote.
Blumenauer amendment: This
amendment from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D, OR-3) directs the Corps to update
the Principles and Guidelines that guide the Corps in project studies.� PNWA has concerns about section (e)(2)(B), which would allow the newly updated Principles
and Guidelines to be applied to a project already under study, if it is
targeted by a non-federal entity.� These
project studies are cost-shared, often to the tune of many millions of
dollars over several years, and to send them back to the drawing board to
start over could lead to serious project study delays.� The amendment was accepted on a voice
vote.
Walden motion to recommit: As
debate on the bill was concluding, Rep. Greg Walden (R, OR-2) made a motion
to recommit the bill back to the T&I Committee so that an additional
section could be added to address the economic and environmental benefits
of hydropower. �The motion to
recommit failed by a party line vote of 193-224.
PNWA will be working closely with
our West Coast members who serve on the House Transportation &
Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment & Public Works
committee to ensure that our supported provisions prevail in the conference
committee and become law.� To view PNWA�s WRDA documents, please visit www.pnwa.net.
Staff Contact: Kristin Meira
PNWA welcomes new member Ukiah
Engineering, Inc.
PNWA is
excited to announce our newest member: Ukiah Engineering, Inc. (UEI).� UEI is a Portland-based firm delivering
sound engineering and management solutions with a unique focus on balancing
design, cost, and schedule requirements.�
They call it Constructible Engineering.� UEI is an Oregon
based business,
whose principals are seasoned engineering professionals with extensive
experience working on infrastructure and site development projects
throughout Oregon and Southwest
Washington.� UEI�s civil engineering
services are especially useful for land development and infrastructure
enhancement projects.�
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Their
scope of services include:
����������� Civil Engineering
�
Sewer, Water, and Stormwater
Drainage
�
Subdivision and Site Grading
�
Roadway and Transportation Engineering
�
Water Quality Facilities
�
Minor Structures
Construction
Engineering
Construction
Management
Project
Management
Contact info:
Lisa Vuylsteke
Ukiah Engineering, Inc.
5319
SW Westgate Dr., Suite 113
Portland, OR� 97221
Phone: 503-297-6135
Fax: 866-370-4971
Email: LMV@UkiahEngineering.com
www.UkiahEngineering.com
Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson
Oregon Department of Transportation
seeking information to develop a Freight Mobility Planning project
The Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) is seeking information from private or
public entities for development and implementation of a statewide
multimodal Freight Mobility Planning project. The project
willl collect and assess data and develop
recommendations on key distribution channels in Oregon�s multimodal freight transportation
system, including road, rail, marine, air and pipeline modes as well as intermodal connections and logistics. It will also
evaluate and make recommendations on critical statewide multimodal trade
corridors.
A Request for Information (RFI) to this effect
was posted yesterday on the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN),
#730-00033-07: http://orpin.oregon.gov/open.dll/welcome
If you and/or your organization have an interest
in this project, please submit the information requested to ODOT, no later
than April 26, 2007. The RFI includes specific instructions for
development and submission of your reply.
Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson
Pacific Northwest
Waterways
Association
www.pnwa.net
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