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In this
issue: Finalized
WRDA bill passes House, stalls in Senate 2007 PNWA
Annual Meeting online registration available PNWA Mourns the loss of Worth Hager PNWA lost a great friend and supporter this past
Friday.� Worth Hager (Sarah Dilworth
Hager Gatti) passed away August 10, 2007 at the age
of 51.� Worth was one of the top voices
for navigation in the country and was an invaluable connection to the Corps
funding process on Capitol Hill.� Aside
from being a great resource to the PNWA staff, Worth lent her wisdom to our
membership during many of our PNWA Missions to Worth was an ardent supporter of navigation issues in the ����������������������������������������� Worth
first moved to We are
honored to have known Worth, and she will be missed.� PNWA�s staff and
membership extend our condolences to Worth�s family. Friends
may call from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at Arlington Funeral
Home, 3901 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203, where a funeral service will
be held at 6 p.m. Interment will be in Asheboro, NC. Finalized WRDA bill passes House, stalls
in Senate Recently,
we reported that the conference committee charged with reconciling the House
and Senate versions of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act had finished
their work, and that the completed bill was ready for final passage and to be
signed into law.� This bill contains a
number of provisions that PNWA has been advocating on behalf of our members,
with great support from our region�s Congressional delegation.� We are pleased to report that the House
overwhelmingly passed the conference report, with a vote of 381-40. After the
House passed the bill, it was sent to the Senate, where the process has
slowed.� The Senate was not able to
bring the bill to the floor for a vote prior to their recess for the August
recess. Senate leaders now promise that the measure will be brought to the
floor for a vote in the first week of September when lawmakers return to the
Hill. Once the
Senate passes WRDA, it will head to the President�s desk to be signed into
law.� However, it should be noted that
the White House has issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) that
promises a veto of the bill.� This is surprising,
as the President has only vetoed three bills in his entire time in
office.� The Administration�s message
centers on the cost of the bill.�
However, several Congressional leaders were quick to note that this
WRDA bill is five years overdue, and that each year of delay to an
authorization bill leads to more projects that join the backlog. PNWA
staff will send messages to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as well as
Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer to
urge the consideration of the WRDA conference report on the Senate floor in
September.� Sen. Boxer specifically
mentioned PNWA�s letter sent to her in May urging
passage of the Senate�s WRDA bill in her remarks in the Congressional Record.
Letters from other trade and industry groups from around the nation were also
included.� Once the Senate passes the
measure, we will send a similar message of support to the President, as well
as Assistant Secretary of the Army John Paul Woodley. Restrictions
lifted on dredges Essayons
and Yaquina � After
literally decades of work by the Northwest Congressional delegation, PNWA,
and our members, past and present, we are pleased to report that the
conference committee agreed to lift operating restrictions on the West Coast
dredges Essayons
and Yaquina.
This will allow the Corps of Engineers to operate the two dredges to maximize
their efficiency, and will help address dredging costs, response to
emergencies and the reliability of navigation channels up and down the West
Coast. � Section
214 permit funding authority extended to 2009 � Another
provision of interest to PNWA members is Section 214, and the effort to
eventually have the authority made permanent.�
Section 214 is the authority that allows ports, cities and other
nonfederal government agencies to contribute funds to the Corps to expedite
permitting work. The authority is currently authorized through 2008, and the
conference report provides for an extension through the end of 2009.� PNWA will be working with our Northwest
Congressional delegation to participate in any hearings that are held to
discuss the authority, and we look forward to working together in a
collaborative manner to eventually make this authority a permanent feature
that can be used with predictability by Northwest stakeholders. Deed
and flowage easement restrictions lifted The Ports
of Lewiston, Clarkston, Siltation at The bill
includes language that would authorize a study to determine if siltation at � The bill
contains language that would allow the The
conference report contains a provision allowing the Corps to accept
non-federal contributions for the Elliott Bay Seawall study, and count those
contributions toward the non-federal share of any projects that become
authorized as a result of the study.�
The provision also allows the Corps to consider seismic activity in
the study. Erosion
control project for A
provision in the bill will authorize sections of PNWA is
very grateful for the efforts of our West Coast Congressional delegation over
the years on all of these provisions, as various iterations of WRDA were
debated and expired.� We are very
pleased that this year�s WRDA bill is within sight of the finish line, and we
look forward to supporting the effort for a WRDA until it eventually becomes
law.� For more information about WRDA,
please visit www.pnwa.net
and click on �Water Resources Development Act�. PNWA
staff contact: Kristin
Meira 2007 PNWA Annual Meeting online
registration available
Make plans TODAY to join PNWA for our 2007 Annual Meeting!� Online registration is available
NOW!� To register for the 2007 PNWA
Annual Meeting click HERE�secure online credit card
payments are now accepted! 2007 PNWA Annual Meeting October 10th-12th, 2007 Red Lion Hotel at the Quay 1-800-RED-LION Featured topics of the 2007 Annual Meeting
include: Infrastructure as it relates to trade Rail Competition The Rapanos
decision and other permit processing issues Corps update on the MCR Jetty Rehab Corps update on the Lower Monumental Dam
Rehab The process, considerations, and anticipated
direction of the new draft BiOp PNWA Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson Pacific Northwest Waterways Association www.pnwa.net |
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