Posted:
July 18, 2014
Members of the House of Representatives acted to ensure dredging projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System receive the funding and attention they are due under the law with two amendments to the 2015 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which was approved in the House July 10 by a bipartisan vote of 253-170.
The legislation, which among other things would provide funding for the Army Corps of Engineers in fiscal year 2015, was referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 14.
An amendment to the appropriations bill authored by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA) to increase the Army Corps budget by $57.6 million was approved and included in the legislation. The additional funding would bring the Corps' dredging budget to the level specified in the recently enacted Water Resources Reform and Development Act, and should result in more dredging dollars for Great Lakes Navigation System projects if the legislation with this language is enacted, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force reported.
"Properly dredged harbors along the Great Lakes are critical to Michigan's economy and vital to job creation throughout West Michigan," said Rep. Huizenga, who received the Great Lakes Legislator of the Year Award from the task force in May. "Passage of this amendment demonstrates that harbors, including those in the Great Lakes, are a priority."
Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) spoke in support of the measure during floor debate.
An amendment authored by Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) to ensure 10 percent of the allocation from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is applied to dredging projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System, as mandated by the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, was also approved and included in the appropriations bill passed by the House.
Rep. Duffy's district includes the Port of Superior and Rep. Kelly's district includes the Port of Erie. Ships servicing Superior and Erie have not been able to carry full loads for decades. Inadequate funding for dredging has left more than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clogging the Great Lakes Navigation System, the task force reported.
"This amendment leaves no doubt that Congress fully intends for the Corps to allocate 10 percent of harbor maintenance funding provided above the 2012 baseline," said Glen Nekvasil, secretary of the task force. "This, plus the increase in Corps funding nationwide passed last week, keeps us moving steadily toward our goal of vessels once again carrying full loads."
The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, of which American Maritime Officers is a member, is the largest coalition to ever speak for the Great Lakes shipping community, and draws its membership from both labor and management.
Legislators act to provide funding for dredging, prioritize Great Lakes projects
Members of the House of Representatives acted to ensure dredging projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System receive the funding and attention they are due under the law with two amendments to the 2015 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which was approved in the House July 10 by a bipartisan vote of 253-170.
The legislation, which among other things would provide funding for the Army Corps of Engineers in fiscal year 2015, was referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 14.
An amendment to the appropriations bill authored by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA) to increase the Army Corps budget by $57.6 million was approved and included in the legislation. The additional funding would bring the Corps' dredging budget to the level specified in the recently enacted Water Resources Reform and Development Act, and should result in more dredging dollars for Great Lakes Navigation System projects if the legislation with this language is enacted, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force reported.
"Properly dredged harbors along the Great Lakes are critical to Michigan's economy and vital to job creation throughout West Michigan," said Rep. Huizenga, who received the Great Lakes Legislator of the Year Award from the task force in May. "Passage of this amendment demonstrates that harbors, including those in the Great Lakes, are a priority."
Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) spoke in support of the measure during floor debate.
An amendment authored by Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) to ensure 10 percent of the allocation from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is applied to dredging projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System, as mandated by the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, was also approved and included in the appropriations bill passed by the House.
Rep. Duffy's district includes the Port of Superior and Rep. Kelly's district includes the Port of Erie. Ships servicing Superior and Erie have not been able to carry full loads for decades. Inadequate funding for dredging has left more than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clogging the Great Lakes Navigation System, the task force reported.
"This amendment leaves no doubt that Congress fully intends for the Corps to allocate 10 percent of harbor maintenance funding provided above the 2012 baseline," said Glen Nekvasil, secretary of the task force. "This, plus the increase in Corps funding nationwide passed last week, keeps us moving steadily toward our goal of vessels once again carrying full loads."
The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, of which American Maritime Officers is a member, is the largest coalition to ever speak for the Great Lakes shipping community, and draws its membership from both labor and management.