News Release
FOR RELEASE - July 20, 2006
Contact: Aaron Ellis, aellis@aapa-ports.org
703-684-5700
American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org
ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 20, 2006) – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) today welcomed the U.S. Senate’s approval last evening of the long-pending Water Resources Development Act (S. 728), which addresses a six-year backlog of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers programs, including navigation projects, policies and procedures necessary to keep pace with today’s burgeoning trade. The bill also includes a number of important provisions for the Corps, such as an amendment proposed by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) to strike decommissioning language for the Corps dredge McFarland and lift restrictions on two other Corps dredges (the Yaquina and Essayons). AAPA strongly supported this amendment.
“AAPA and our member ports are very pleased that this critical piece of legislation is finally headed to conference, thanks in large measure to Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) for bringing it to the Senate floor, and to the effective leadership of Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Kit Bond (R-MO) Max Baucus (D-MT) and Jim Jeffords (I-VT),” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. Sen. Inhofe chairs the Environment and Public Works committee; Sen. Jeffords is the committee’s minority ranking member; Sen. Bond is the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee chairman and the WRDA bill’s manager; and Sen. Baucus is the subcommittee minority ranking member.
“America’s ports depend upon a regular, biennial cycle of new project authorizations to improve federal navigation channels to accommodate calls from a modern world fleet of deep-draft ships,” remarked Mr. Nagle. “This bill is critical to maintaining America’s position as a dominant world trading partner and to keep our ports working as engines of the nation’s economic growth.”
The last WRDA bill was signed into law in 2000. In the intervening years, demand for critical water resources projects has accumulated, as have the costs to implement them. Numerous projects and provisions in the WRDA 2006 omnibus bill will help address port waterside infrastructure needs. Included are projects for navigation channel deepening, dredged material disposal and storage facilities, and policy provisions to improve the Corps of Engineers project implementation process.
