Port of Skagit celebrates commencement of Swinomish Channel dredging
Yesterday, the Port of Skagit staff and commissioners joined with Rep. Rick Larsen, local and tribal officials to celebrate the commencement of critical maintenance dredging in the 11-mile long Swinomish Channel. PNWA staff was on hand for the celebration, and made remarks during the speaking program regarding the critical role of our nation's waterways, and the need to more fully fund this part of our federal infrastructure. The Port of Skagit Executive Director is Ms. Patsy Martin, who is also halfway through a two-year term as PNWA's elected President. Patsy and her team have been extremely effective advocates not only for the Swinomish, but the shared needs and concerns of small navigation projects through the Northwest.
U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen addresses attendees
The Swinomish Channel received $2.2M of a $30M national pot of additional operations & maintenance funding that was provided to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in FY2012 appropriations. The Corps' work plan for these monies placed a high priority on addressing the Swinomish, which provides critical navigation access for log and other commercial tonnage handlers, marina users, tribal fisherman, and the Coast Guard. The dredging, to be performed by American Construction Company out of Tacoma, is scheduled to begin today and will likely last approximately five months.
Advanced Construction Company dredge mobilized for Swinomish dredging |
Bonneville Dam celebrates 75 years
On Saturday, September 15th, the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation held a celebration in honor of Bonneville Dam's 75th anniversary. The event commemorated President Franklin Roosevelt's dedication of Bonneville Dam in 1937, as well as the clean hydropower and low cost, efficient navigation the project has brought the Northwest ever since. PNWA staff attended the event, which took place at the dam and included a reenactment of FDR's dedication, as well as remarks from U.S. Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Suzanne Bonamici and BPA Administrator Steve Wright. PNWA congratulates Bonneville on 75 years and looks forward to working with the federal agencies to ensure Bonneville and the entire Columbia Snake River System continue to bring economic and environmental success to the Northwest.
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PNWA Annual Convention - Full agenda is now available
Make your plans to join us for PNWA's biggest event of the year! Our Annual Convention is an excellent opportunity for you to contribute to the PNWA goals, and to personally help set our priorities for the coming year. Your attendance and support for PNWA at this conference will contribute to the success of our advocacy efforts next year and beyond. This year's event features speakers and topics of interest to every PNWA member, and will be an opportunity to touch base with colleagues, industry leaders and leading federal agency staff as we work together to move our region into the future.
Click here for a copy of our full agenda, including all speakers and topics!
2012 Annual Convention October 9-11, 2012 Hilton Vancouver Washington 301 W. 6th Street Vancouver, WA 98660 Reservations: 360-993-4500 www.vancouverwashington.hilton.com
To register for the meeting online, click here.
REMINDER FOR PNWA MEMBERS: 2013 Policies and Project updates due by September 30
As we prepare for our Annual Meeting and the upcoming year, we are currently revising our PNWA Policies and Projects. This document is the complete listing of all PNWA policy positions and supported infrastructure projects that we base our efforts on for the upcoming year, and will be adopted at our Annual Meeting in October. In late August, PNWA staff emailed specific projects and policy issues to the individual members, requesting updates be sent in to PNWA staff no later than September 30, 2012.
Please remember to take a few moments to review the documents and make sure that the statements included are accurate, up-to-date and reflect your goals for 2013. It is very important to us that it accurately reflects your views and needs. We include navigation, rail freight mobility, highway freight mobility, water, economic development and tourism, and energy projects on our list, so please be sure to include all of your projects in those areas. The complete list of our current 2012 PNWA Policies and Projects is available here. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Heather Stebbings.
Annual Convention Sponsorship Opportunities available!
Now is the perfect time to raise your level of participation and support! We offer sponsorship opportunities at every level, and have the following available for our 2012 event:
- Lunch: $500
- Breakfast: $400
- Breaks: $300
- Meeting Materials: $200
PNWA sponsors receive exposure on our website and throughout the meeting in our materials, at our reception and from the podium. Approximately 120 of our PNWA members from the Northwest ports, navigation, energy and trade community will be present. Don't miss your chance to participate today! Contact Heather Stebbings today for more information.
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