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Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell announce HMTF reform bill
Yesterday, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell announced "The Maritime Goods Movement Act for the 21st Century". PNWA staff was present for the announcement, which came at a press conference held in Seattle, WA. This legislation is meant to reform the current Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), and to meet the varying needs of the diverse navigation community in the United States.
The bill is scheduled to be released following the August Congressional recess, and additional details including bill text will be announced at that time. Overarching concepts, however, are in line with a Northwest approach discussed within the PNWA membership earlier this year. The collaborative effort includes the following key elements:
- Comprehensive solution to address varying port needs in the nation
- Establishes Maritime Goods Movement User Fee, to replace the current Harbor Maintenance tax
- Ensures full use of annual receipts, with up-front set aside for small ports
- Significantly increases operations & maintenance (O&M) funding to be used for activities like dredging and jetty repair
- Restores a level playing field for U.S. ports and provides fair chance to compete
- Provides funding for "super donor" ports-ports that generate significant HMT revenue but are not allowed to get a fair return from the HMTF
- Reinvests in our maritime and intermodal infrastructure to move goods to market faster
PNWA appreciates the efforts of Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell to bring additional funding to support navigation infrastructure in our region and throughout the nation. We look forward to working with the Senators and their staff when the bill is introduced. Click here to view the Senators' press release. For additional background, log onto the PNWA website.
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PNWA files comments on Columbia River Treaty "working draft recommendation"
Today, PNWA filed comments on the Columbia River Treaty "Working Draft of a Regional Recommendation", which was released by the U.S. Entity on June 27th. The U.S. Entity, comprised of Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Northwestern Division, is currently accepting public comment on the working draft through the end of the day today, August 16th. To access the working draft, learn more about the Treaty, or to submit comment, visit the Treaty site here. Please note that all comments submitted to the Entity will be publicly available on the Treaty Review website.
The U.S. Entity expects to complete a third round of modeling and analysis in August, followed by a September release of a final draft recommendation. The September final draft recommendation will be open to public comment as well. The Entity plans to make a recommendation to the State Department by mid-December.
Navigation stakeholder meeting - Wednesday, September 4th
PNWA has coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to schedule a third navigation stakeholder outreach meeting on the Columbia River Treaty. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 4th from 9:30am-12:00pm at the Port of Portland in the eighth floor Chinook Room. Parking in the airport's long-term deck, adjacent to the Port offices, will be validated by the Port. Please RSVP to Natalie Whitlock of PNWA to confirm your attendance for this important meeting.
Earlier navigation outreach meetings were held in December 2012 and April 2013. The Corps and its contractor expect to have updates on their Iteration 2 and 3 impact assessment and sedimentation analysis results. We strongly encourage stakeholders on the Columbia Snake River System to attend this meeting.
For more information regarding the Columbia River Treaty and PNWA's work on this important issue, please contact Kristin Meira.
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PNWA files comments on draft comprehensive evaluation of FCRPS BiOp
On July 10th, BPA, the Corps, and Bureau of Reclamation released a draft Comprehensive Evaluation ("CE") of the first five years of progress in implementing NOAA Fisheries' Biological Opinion for operation of the FCRPS for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. The drat CE reviews accomplishments in dam passage improvements, habitat restoration, hatchery reform and predator management as well as the status of the fish.
PNWA noted that the agencies' document provides a positive mid-point report on the successes and inherent challenges in implementing and expanding a broad range of actions to improve fish survival, spread across the many elements of an All-H program. PNWA's letter also noted that since the active litigation has paused, Federal action agencies and others have been able to focus their time and resources where they should be: in the field. PNWA's full comments on the draft CE may be accessed here.
For more information on the BiOp and the engagement of PNWA and the Inland Ports & Navigation Group in this arena, please contact Kristin Meira.
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