U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan to be released on February 6, 2012

As reported in the December 16th Nor'wester, two important provisions were included in the FY2012 Energy and Water Appropriations bill: (1) all PNWA supported projects included in the President's budget were retained; and (2) the Congressional conferees retained the "additional funding" pots that had been proposed by the House and Senate in their bills earlier this year.

For many years PNWA has urged Congress and several Administrations to allow local and regional economic impacts to be considered when determining funding for projects. As part of our advocacy efforts for the FY2012 "additional funding", we collected updated economic data to support our projects out here in the Northwest. The data included local and regional impacts as well as tonnage numbers. We have communicated this information to the Corps and to our Northwest Congressional Delegation, in the hopes that it will be helpful as a work plan is developed.

The Corps had 45 days to complete its work plan for the "additional funding", and is currently in the finishing stages. The work plan is scheduled to be released on February 6th. We will keep you updated as we learn which of our supported projects received additional funding.

Portland Harbor Partnership kick-off event scheduled

The Portland Harbor Partnership has scheduled the first of its "On the Waterfront" education series. "A River of Stories - Two historical perspectives of the Willamette River in Portland" is scheduled to debut January 31, 2012 at 7pm at the Oregon Historical Society Pavilion, 1200 SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon.

The Willamette River has long served as the means of transport and the inspiration for people living in Oregon.  Carl Abbott and William Lang, Oregon historians and professors at Portland State University, will provide some of their favorite tales and images of the Willamette River's role in the valley that bears its name. The audience will then be invited to participate in a discussion about the river and its future. Additionally, everyone will be invited to share their own "river stories" on video or in writing at the event. Topics of discussion include the riverfront's role in commerce and industry over the years and the impacts of World War II and the 20th century transformation of Swan Island. For more information, log onto http://portlandharborpartnership.com/.

Accelerated TIGER IV timeline

The timeline for the fourth round of the TIGER discretionary grant funding has been accelerated significantly. The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) recently sent out notice that DOT will likely release the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in the next couple of weeks. There will be a very short turnaround for applicants, with the pre-application deadline as early as the end of February, and the final application due as early as the end of March.   

Other details announced advised that TIGER IV requirements and criteria would be similar to those in TIGER III, and that due to the accelerated schedule grant awards will be limited to submissions that demonstrate project readiness before September 30, 2013.  For more information on how to best prepare your application, contact Howard Hill via e-mail at TigerGrants@dot.gov or at 202-366-0301. PNWA will continue to keep you updated as more information about TIGER IV is released.

Register for PNWA's upcoming events

PNWA Mission to Washington, DC 

This year's annual gathering will take place at the Madison Hotel, and will feature extremely valuable general sessions with national industry leaders and federal agency staff. PNWA is also the only organization to schedule convenient, coordinated meetings with our entire Northwest Congressional delegation. It is a truly unique lobbying effort with every Member of Congress from our region - make your plans to participate today!  

For an example of PNWA's Mission to Washington, click here to take a look at the tremendous program that was presented in 2011! 

2012 Mission to Washington, DC

March 4-8, 2012

http://www.madisonhoteldc.com/

Online registration is also available for our three regional meetings in February 2012. These meetings will help prepare our priority issues for our annual Mission to Washington, DC, and are also a great opportunity to give and receive updates on individuation projects and regional issues. A PNWA staff report will include information on FY13 appropriations, navigation policy and projects, energy issues, environmental and regulatory issues, and the PNWA Mission to Washington. Please note that you do not need to register for the Mission to Washington to attend the Regional Meetings - these are free meetings for all members, and provide great value.

Puget Sound Regional Meeting - February 15, 2012
Moffatt & Nichol, 600 University Street, Suite 610, Seattle, WA, 11:30-2pm

Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho Regional Meeting - February 17, 2012
Port of Pasco, 1110 Osprey Point Blvd, Pasco, WA, 11:30-2pm

Lower Columbia River/OR & SW WA Coast Regional Meeting - February 21, 2012
Port of Portland, 7200 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 12-3pm

For more information on our 2012 events, log onto our website or contact Heather Stebbings at heather.stebbings@pnwa.net.