Issue 285                                                                     
                               September 12, 2007


In this issue:

 

Federal agencies submit proposed actions to NMFS for new FCRPS BiOp
Corp�s awards CRCIP Phase III dredging contract
PNWA Congratulates AAPA�s 2007 Annual Awards Winners
2007 PNWA Annual Meeting registration reminder

 

Corp�s awards CRCIP Phase III dredging contract


The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the contract for the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project�s (CRCIP) Phase III dredging.This contract covers 25 miles of the river and will focus on the areas from Kalama to St. Helens, among others.

 

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, IL has been selected by the Corps to receive the contract, worth up to $49,375,500.Bill Hanson, VP of U.S. Business Development for Great Lakes, is enthusiastic about the productive working relationship they have with the Portland District and the Columbia River ports, and has stated that they are �already at work on the MCR project with our hopper dredge Terrapin Island and hope to start work on the deepening soon.�Great Lakes� completion of CRCIP Phase III dredging is scheduled for July of 2008.

 

Upon completion of Phase III, 68% of the Columbia River federal deep-draft channel will be deepened to 43 feet.This is an enormous accomplishment, and continued funding is imperative to achieve project completion.Funding for the channel deepening has been provided by federal appropriations, the governments of Oregon and Washington state, and local sponsoring ports. The President�s FY2008 budget included $15 million for channel deepening, and both the House and Senate Energy & Water Appropriations bills echoed that amount.

 

PNWA strongly supports this important regional project, and thanks the Northwest Congressional delegation, the Administration, and the Corps for their continued commitment to this project.

 

PNWA Staff Contact: Kristin Meira

 

Federal agencies submit proposed actions to NMFS for new FCRPS BiOp


Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation have released their plan to advance recovery for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin.This set of proposed actions represents the latest effort to submit a plan that will be approved by U.S. District Court Judge Jim Redden.The next step in the process will be a Biological Opinion from NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) on these proposed actions, which is expected by October 31st.

 

The federal agencies� proposal includes an �all-H approach�, focusing on hydro, habitat, hatcheries, and harvest:

* Hydro � Improvements to the hydro system, including water management operations, dam modifications, spill, juvenile transport improvements and operations and maintenance activities, to improve juvenile passage survival and adult returns

* Habitat � A significantly expanded program that will protect and improve tributary and estuary habitat based on specific biological needs of the fish

* Hatcheries � New or expanded facilities for safety net and conservation programs to promote recovery further actions to improve steelhead productivity (kelt reconditioning, local broodstocks); and support of implementation of hatchery reforms to reduce impacts on listed fish

* Harvest - Expanded efforts to reduce the level of juvenile and adult salmon losses from avian, fish and marine mammal predators

 

It is a science based plan that analyzes the survival and recovery needs of fish and individually evaluates the limiting factors at all life stages of each of the 13 ESA-list species on the Columbia-Snake River system.The proposed actions would take place over a 10-year span, and include significant funding commitments from the action agencies.

 

PNWA supports the federal agencies in their effort to devise a salmon recovery plan that addresses the needs of listed fish while balancing the clean energy needs of the Northwest.We commend the agencies for the collaborative manner in which this plan was created, and appreciate the significant improvements contained in this plan over previous iterations.

 

PNWA Staff Contact: Glenn Vanselow

 

PNWA Congratulates AAPA�s 2007 Annual Awards Winner


The American Association of Port Authorities has selected the winners of their 2007 AAPA Annual Awards Program.These national awards are given to ports for achievements in environmental improvement, facilities engineering, information technology and communications.PNWA would like to congratulate all of this year�s winners and would like to highlight the five PNWA members that have been selected for their exemplary projects, programs and initiatives.

 

Port of Longview

Promotional Series Award of Merit: Marine Marketing Brochure

 

Port of Portland
2007 Environmental Improvement Award Winners - Stakeholder Awareness, Education and

��� Involvement: Environmental Outreach and Communication Program

Advertising Series Honorable Mention: Brand Ads(Marine, Sports Apparel & Titans of Trade)

Promotional Award of Merit: Container Barging Brochure

Special Events Award of Merit: Seaport Celebration

Annual Reports Award of Merit: Portfolio

Periodicals Award of Merit: Portside

Periodicals Award of Merit: Port Dispatch

Website Award of Merit: www.portofportland.com

 

Port of Seattle

Special Events Award of Excellence: Port 101 Series

 

Port of Tacoma��������������������������������������

Dan Maynard Communications Award for Overall Excellence

Promotional Series Award of Merit: Breakbulk: A Commitment to our Customers

Special Events Award of Excellence: Kaiser Smokestack Demolition

Annual Reports Award of Excellence: 2006 Annual Report: The Tacoma Advantage

Videos Award of Excellence: Pierce County Port Report TV Show

Periodicals Award of Excellence: Pacific Gateway

Periodicals Award of Merit: Pierce County�s Port Report

Miscellaneous Communications Award of Merit: Supply Chain Security Poster

 

Port of Vancouver
Advertising Series Award of Merit: Port Tenant Ad Series

 

PNWA Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson

 

2007 PNWA Annual Meeting online registration reminder


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

100 Columbia Street

Vancouver, WA98660

1-800-RED-LION
www.redlion.com
*PNWA Discounted rate: $89.95 Riverview Single/Double

 

 

Featured topics of the 2007 Annual Meeting include:

Aging Rail, Highway and Water Infrastructure: Meeting Northwest Challenges
Moving Goods to Market - How Northwest Farmers Ship Products in the 21st Century
Rail Competition in the Northwest
The Columbia River Crossing project
Pacific Rim Shipping Trends
Corps Update on the MCR Jetty Repairs and Rehab
Corps Update on the Lower Monumental Dam Rehab
The Process and Anticipated Direction of the new FCRPS Biological Opinion
Marketing Pacific Northwest Wheat to the World
The Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Northwest trade
Bonneville Power Administration Update
Columbia River Off-Channel Storage Appraisal Evaluation

PNWA Staff Contact: Heather Kenneson

 


Pacific Northwest Waterways Association                                          www.pnwa.net

 

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