Northwest small ports highlighted for Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 

 

PNWA President and Port of Skagit, WA Executive Director Patsy Martin is participating in a bi-partisan roundtable for Members of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I), Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.  The discussion will take place on Thursday, March 21 and will focus on ports and the jobs, economic development and trade activities related to them nation-wide.  The discussion is meant to inform the Committee's work in developing a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) this year, and Mrs. Martin will be present to represent the perspective of small ports in the Northwest and throughout the nation.   

 

Small ports, their tenants, and supporting businesses provide family wage jobs and economic development activity in communities which are struggling to achieve an economic recovery. Despite the important role they play, their affiliated federal navigation channels and jetties remain vastly underfunded. One solution to these funding challenges is a fix for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). The HMTF is meant to fund 100% of the cost of operations and maintenance of our nation's deep draft and coastal waterways.  Annual HMT revenues total more than $1.5B, while only half of that is actually spent on its intended purpose. The rest is used to offset the federal deficit. Mrs. Martin will be urging the Committee to address the HMTF in the next WRDA bill, so that our country's deep draft and small coastal projects are able to continue to bring economic prosperity to the nation.

 

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is a leading Member of the T&I Committee and has been very vocal in support of small ports needs in Oregon and throughout the Northwest.  "Small ports are vital to maintaining a vibrant economy in the Pacific Northwest," said Rep. Peter DeFazio. "I am pleased that a representative from our region will give voice to these smaller coastal ports and personally relay their significance to our national economy, coastal communities, and marine safety."

 

"Our Members of Congress in the Northwest truly understand the importance of ports and the local, regional and national benefits they provide," said Kristin Meira, PNWA Executive Director.  "This is a very exciting opportunity to highlight the perspectives of both small and large ports for decision makers outside of our region.  Our Congressional leaders are considering policies that will have great impacts on U.S. ports as well as the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to maintain our navigation infrastructure. We are so pleased the Northwest has a seat at the table."

Senate WRDA bill released; scheduled for markup on Wednesday, March 20

 

On Friday, March 15th, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) released their 2013 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) draft. PNWA continues to review the draft, but would like to provide our preliminary thoughts below.  

 

Section 214. PNWA is the nation's lead advocate for Section 214 and we are very pleased to report language making it permanent was included in the draft WRDA. Section 214 is the funding authority that allows the Corps to accept funds from non-Federal public entities, like ports, to hire additional regulatory staff to expedite the permitting process.  It was originally authorized in WRDA 2000 and has been subject to a number of short term extensions, the last of which is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2016.

 

To address prior concerns regarding transparency and consistency of the authority nation-wide, the Committee provided language that would require public availability of information and standardized reporting for all Corps Districts. Specifically, the bill states that all final permit decisions must be made public and that a standard decision process must be established for all active agreements.  It also requires the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA) to provide an annual report to EPW and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee within 90 days of the conclusion of each fiscal year. The report must include a thorough listing of all accepted funds, permits reviewed, and training offered to Section 214 funded staff in the previous fiscal year.

 

Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The bill includes some fairly strong language regarding the HMTF, directing Congress to fully spend revenues on its intended purpose of operations & maintenance (O&M) of our deep draft and coastal harbors. This language raises some concerns, however, that legislators may pull from other parts of the Corps budget to carry this out. In an effort to address these concerns, the new bill would make efforts to cut any of the Corps accounts below the previous year's budget subject to a Point of Order. The Point of Order would require a 2/3 Senate vote to be waived.

 

The new bill also has details regarding prioritization of projects that would pull from the HMTF. It includes language directing the Corps to give priority to high use projects. Once these high use projects are maintained to their authorized width and depth, the ASA can prioritize 20% or less of the remaining funds to 1) projects maintained below their authorized width and depth during the preceding 5 years and 2) for which significant local, federal and state infrastructure investments have been made.

 

The draft also proposes full federal funding for maintenance of harbors up to 50 feet and would allow federal funding for berth dredging of projects in states that contribute more than 2.5 percent of HMTF receipts yet receive less than 50% of what their state contributes. Priority would be given to projects that have historically received the lowest amounts of funding. PNWA continues to look into how each of these provisions would affect our members and will be providing follow up information in the coming days.  

 

Inland Waterways Trust Fund. This WRDA bill proposes a number of project delivery improvements for inland construction and major rehabilitation projects.  These include modifications to the way projects are managed and developed, establishment of at least one USACE center of expertise, and guidelines for the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB).Additionally, the bill directs the ASA to develop a methodology for classifying projects as major rehabs,and to submit to Congress a 20-year inland capital investment plan which must be spread over all geographic areas of the inland waterways system.  In doing so, the Secretary must take into consideration the IWUB's April 2010 plan which lays out the User Board's priority construction and major rehab projects across the nation.  

Regarding IWTF collections, the bill does not propose an increase to the diesel tax, nor a switch to a different fee system.  However, it does include a Sense of Congress noting that the issue needs to be addressed and that users are supportive of an increase to existing revenues.  There is also language directing the Comptroller General to evaluate the efficiency of current fuel tax collection methods, and provide a report on alternative collection options no later than two years after the bill is passed.

The Committee is scheduled to markup the bill on Wednesday, March 20th at 7am PST. This is simply a starting point for what will likely be a long negotiation process. PNWA continues to review the draft bill and will report on additional analysis in the coming week. For more information or to provide feedback, please contact Heather Stebbings.  

TIGER Grants for Job Creation Act reintroduced in 113th Congress

 

On March 13th, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) reintroduced the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grants for Job Creation Act (H.R. 1124).  

 

TIGER Grants are highly competitive and allow the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure including highway, bridge, and transit projects that are not eligible for other funding programs. TIGER has enjoyed overwhelming demand since its creation. Applications for the 2012 round of grants totaled $10.2 billion, far exceeding the $500 million set aside for the program. The first four rounds of the TIGER program (from 2009-2012) provided $3.1 billion to 218 projects across the nation.

 

H.R. 1124 calls for an emergency supplemental investment of $1 Billion to fund the next two rounds of TIGER grants ($500 million for FY2013 and FY2014 each). The Bill also exempts the TIGER program from cuts due to sequestration. The bill aims to create employment opportunities while addressing shortfalls in infrastructure investments.  

 

There are currently 64 cosponsors for the Bill, including Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA). PNWA membership strongly supports funding for the TIGER program which is a critical source of funding for port-related infrastructure.

PNWA Staff and Members Tour Columbia Snake River System Dams 

 

Last week, PNWA members and colleagues, along with the staff from the Northwest Congressional delegation, were invited to tour The Dalles and Little Goose dams. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted the tours, which occurred during the Columbia Snake River System annual maintenance closure. Tour participants were able to see these incredible projects up close, viewing the power houses and fish ladders at both dams. We were also able to view the new downstream lock gates at The Dalles Dam, and enter the dewatered lock at Little Goose Dam.

 

Many thanks to the Portland and Walla Walla Districts of the Corps for hosting our group and providing valuable insight into the maintenance of these important structures. Thanks also to our members and friends who were able to join us!

 

Mark Wilson appointed Executive Director of the Port of Kalama

 

The Port of Kalama Commission has appointed Mark Wilson to be the new Executive Director. Mark will take the helm on April 1 following the retirement of the port's long-time Executive Director Lanny Cawley.

 

Mark was raised in Kalama and has worked at the port for 30 years.  During his tenure, he has focused on development for the port, including many important projects such as the development of the Kalama River Industrial Park, management of the remodel of the Port-owned grain terminal, and expansion of the Marine Park for recreation. In his current role as deputy director, Mark has been working on development of the new Spencer Creek Business Park property which will house commercial and light industrial facilities.

 

PNWA congratulates Mark on his new position at the Port!