Issue 274, May 18, 2007
In this issue:
Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area bill passes the House
PNWA works with private dredging interests to support Channel Deepening
Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp confirmed as Chief of Engineers
Pacific Northwest federal port security grant recipients named
Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area bill passes the House
On May 7th, the House
passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Brian Baird (D,WA-3)
that would designate a portion of the Lower Columbia
River as a �Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area.� Baird�s legislation, co-sponsored by Rep.
David Wu (D,OR-1), will begin the process of establishing a National
Heritage Area for land in Pacific, Wahkiakum, Clatsop, and Columbia
counties at the mouth of Columbia River. �Baird is the co-chair of the Congressional
National Parks Caucus.
�Today, the House recognized the
historic and cultural significance of this region, and this is an important
step to preserve the mouth of the Columbia River
for generations to come,� said Baird.�
�Once the areas at the mouth of the Columbia
River are designated as a National Heritage Area, millions of
federal dollars will be available to promote tourism in the region, create
jobs, and strengthen our local economy.�
The bill would authorize the
National Park Service and local stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study
of the proposed area to examine whether the proposed area has natural,
historic, cultural, educational, scenic, or recreational resources that are
important to our nation�s heritage.�
Once the feasibility study is complete, the lawmakers will likely
introduce new legislation to officially designate the land as a National
Heritage Area, making it eligible for $10 million over 15 years.
There are 37 National Heritage Areas across the country.� If the
Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area is approved, it would be the first
on the west coast.� A Heritage Area
designation does not impact commercial activity or development in the area,
nor does the designation provide the authority to enact new regulations on
the designated lands.� A National
Heritage Area is not a unit of the National Park Service, nor is any land
owned or managed by the National Park Service.� Some benefits of the designation include
funding for new services, like the rehab of historic sites, opening new
regional visitors centers, or creating a network of recreational trails.
������������������������������������������������������������������
A Senate companion bill has also
been introduced (S.257) by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR).� Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Maria
Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have all co-sponsored the bill.� A hearing before the Senate Subcommittee
of National Parks (Committee on Energy & Natural Resources) was held on
March 20th, and Columbia River Maritime Museum President Jerry Ostermiller testified in support of the bill.
�This is the land of Lewis
and Clark, Native Americans, John Jacob Astor, and the Hudson�s Bay Company. These are but a few
of the brushstrokes across the historic canvas that is the Columbia
Region,� Smith said. �Recognizing it as National Heritage Area is a tribute
to the historical significance, helping increase tourism and preserving
early Oregon
cultural treasures.�
PNWA is pleased to endorse this
legislation, and looks forward to supporting the effort to draw attention
to the mighty Columbia
as work toward a National Heritage Area moves forward.
Staff Contact: Kristin Meira
PNWA works with private dredging
interests to support Channel Deepening
PNWA is pleased to report on a
collaborative effort to support the Columbia River Channel Improvement
Project (channel deepening).� Over
the last few years, PNWA has forged a relationship with the Dredging
Contractors of America (DCA) to support an overall increase in the annual
budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction and
maintenance activities.�
�������������������
During our most recent meeting
with DCA during PNWA�s Mission
to Washington, DCA officials agreed to
voice support for the Columbia River
channel deepening project.� DCA
recently sent letters to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and
Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittees, outlining
the project's value and status.
PNWA is pleased to work with its
partners to secure national support to add to the strong regional support
this project enjoys.� For more
information about the Columbia River
channel deepening project, visit www.pnwa.net, and see �hot topics� on our home page.
PNWA Staff Contact: Kristin Meira
Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp confirmed as Chief of
Engineers
Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp was
confirmed as the 52nd Chief of Engineers Wednesday, May 17th.� Van Antwerp was nominated for this
position by President Bush on February 2, 2007, and replaces Lt. Gen. Carl Strock.� Strock led the Corps since July 2004 and announced his
retirement last year.� Strock participated in a
�Relinquishment of Command� ceremony just hours before the
confirmation of Van Antwerp was announced.�
Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp has previously served as the
Commanding General of the Army Engineer School in Fort Leonard Wood, MO,
and as Commander of both the Corps� South Atlantic Division and the Los
Angeles District during the Northridge earthquake.� Most recently, he served as the Chief of
Army Accessions Command, leading recruiting efforts for the Army since
2004.
The Corps faces many challenges that are important to PNWA. �We look forward to working with Lt. Gen.
Van Antwerp on maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement of our region�s
navigation infrastructure.
PNWA Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson
Pacific Northwest federal port security grant recipients named
The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) recently announced that $202,269,793 in federal port
security grants will be awarded.�
This is a result of the $ 210 million that was secured for the
FY2007 round of the federal Port Facility Grant program.
��������������
In the Northwest, several of PNWA�s deep draft port members were included in the top
tiers of grant recipients.� In Tier
I, the Port of Seattle received $5.2M, and the Port of Tacoma
had the largest grant of any port in the country at $11.6M.� In Tier II, the Port
of Portland received $92K, and the
Port of Vancouver will receive $161K.� In addition to the monies received by
these ports, several facilities and private terminals in each of those port
areas were also identified for grants.�
Grants were assigned based on risk, and each U.S. port
was assigned to one of four tiers at the outset of the program.� Most of the funding went to Tier I port
areas, with lesser amounts given to Tier II, III and IV ports.� Grand funding for this round will address
perimeter hardening, communications, training and technology.
For FY2008, the Administration�s
budget includes $210 million for the ports security grant program.� PNWA has joined with other port groups
nationwide to push for funding the program at $400 million, and will be
advocating for this amount as Congress begins work on this year�s
appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
Contact: Kristin Meira
Pacific Northwest Waterways
Association
�����������������www.pnwa.net
|