Today, President Bush released his federal budget proposal to Congress for Fiscal Year 2007, including $15 million for the Columbia River Channel Improvement project.

Coalition members acknowledged the $15 million proposal as a good start for the 2007 federal budget process. We also will keep working closely with the Northwest Congressional delegation to increase this amount to ensure that the Columbia River navigation channel is deepened as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Coalition is requesting a final FY2007 appropriation of $40 million for the channel project, which would support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ most efficient work schedule. The sooner we can finish deepening the channel, the more quickly our region's businesses and farmers will realize the full annual transportation savings.

The Corps completed deepening over 25 percent (27 miles) of the 103-mile navigation channel between the ocean and Portland/Vancouver in 2005. Federal and state funds have already been appropriated for 2006, which will allow the Corps to deepen another major section of the river from 40 to 43 feet this year.

The Coalition is submitting formal appropriation requests to all Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington Members of Congress to stress the importance of expeditiously completing this critical project. Many Coalition partners are also going to Washington, D.C. to personally lobby for channel funding (including the City of Vancouver last month and Portland Metro JPACT, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Washington State Potato Commission, and Idaho Grain Producers Association later this month). Thank you all for your support!

Some crab fishermen have been trying to convince Washington state legislators to establish a special task force to "adopt recommended practices or guidelines for monitoring, dredging, or disposal activities" in order to revise permits that have already been issued for annual maintenance dredging and channel deepening at the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR). These bills, SB 6402 and HB 2961, may be well-intentioned, but they are unnecessary and potentially very damaging to Columbia River navigation.

At the request of the Coalition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Portland District forwarded information to key Washington legislators regarding the Corps’ past, present, and future actions pertaining to safe navigation, dredging and disposal practices, and monitoring at MCR. The documents demonstrate the careful steps that are taken before project permits are granted. (If you'd like a copy of the Corps' letter, feel free to contact our office.)

Some examples of Corps actions taken prior to each typical MCR dredging season:

• Annual Use Plan: Each spring the Corps completes surveys of disposal sites and the channel to identify how much material will be dredged and disposed. The plan is reviewed and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies.
• Press Releases: Prior to dredging, the Corps issues a press release to local crab fisherman so they have time to remove their crab pots from areas of operation. This press release is also issued to the U.S. Coast Guard, newspapers, and radio stations, and e-mailed to an extensive list of interested individuals.
• Pre-work Meetings: At the start of each season, the Corps and their contractor review the work plan, Federal and State environmental requirements, and discuss the major topic of safety.
• Public Communication: The Corps not only sends e-mail updates regarding their projects (volumes dredged and disposed and disposal sites used), but they also place survey information on their Hydrosurvey website to be available to the public immediately
• Dredging Reports: During each day of work, a dredging report and the disposal track plot are created to ensure the dredging plan is being followed and to prevent any potential unsafe mounding of material.

These proposed bills in Olympia would distract focus from the processes already in place to address navigational safety issues while potentially jeopardizing channel deepening and maintenance dredging. Navigational safety is critically important -- too important to be used as a political football in Olympia. We'll continue to closely monitor these bills and will keep you posted.

Rather than creating duplicative task forces, we should all be collectively focused on shared navigational safety goals like repairing, protecting, and ultimately rebuilding the north and south jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River.

The Coalition is the largest funder for the Lower Columbia Solutions Group, which was formed “to serve as the key bi-state clearing house to coordinate policy, projects and research related to dredge material disposal and sediment management on the Lower Columbia River and Littoral Cell. The LCSG focuses on finding sustainable solutions to policy issues, research, operations and conflicts. Sustainable solutions integrate economic, social and environmental objectives.” The LCSG is “the forum where key stakeholders from federal, state and local government and non-governmental entities can come together to discuss and seek collaborative solutions to the multitude of issues that arise.”

Last year the Coalition contributed $49,000 and participated in the LCSG and its work groups to find solutions for issues in the Lower Columbia River region. We contributed another $3,000 to monitor the Near-Shore Demonstration Project that occurred near the south jetty in September 2005. This year the Coalition will provide an additional $25,000 in funding to LCSG.

We are hopeful that the crab fisherman and other LCSG participants will better utilize this forum to identify and address relevant concerns -- and will more fully support lower river solutions.

Click here for more information regarding the LCSG

This "Spotlight" column highlights the important work of a member of the Columbia River Channel Coalition. This month we focus on one of our founding members, the Port of Woodland, Washington:

The Port of Woodland is not your stereotypical port. When a person thinks of a port, they think of ships docking along the waterfront unloading cargo from far away lands. The Port of Woodland does have about 180 acres of undeveloped water front property. Besides marketing that property for future development, their main focus is 80 acres of light industrial property.

The Port has two functioning industrial parks housing 11 businesses and approximately 250 jobs. Fifty-acre Schurman Way Industrial Park is served by a one-mile rail spur, set up for land leases, and houses the Port’s largest tenant, PERI Formworks. Seven-acre Down River Industrial Park houses six-10,200 square foot buildings, which were completed in the fall of 2005 and leased before they were completed. The Port just started the engineering and development of Guild Industrial Parks I and II, which will house light manufacturing companies.

The Port of Woodland strives to create jobs and be a great steward of their community. There are future plans to market and develop their water front property along the Columbia River, but for the time being the Port of Woodland will continue with their success in developing industrial parks.

The Port is governed by elected Commissioners Jerry Peterson, Dale Boon, and Tom Wilson. David Ripp serves as the Port's Manager.

Click here to visit the Port of Woodland

This "Congressional Corner" column shares the perspective of Northwest Members of Congress -- in their own words -- on Columbia River issues. This month, we feature U.S. Congressman Brian Baird:

“Deepening the Columbia River Channel helps fuel local job growth and economic development. Port communities, local businesses, and the more than 40,000 local residents employed by commerce-related jobs along the river reap notable economic benefits from the channel deepening project.

“As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I worked with former Senator Slade Gorton and Senator Patty Murray to successfully secure the authorization for the Columbia River Channel Deepening project in 1999. Since then, I have led efforts to ensure channel deepening will be completed in an environmentally sound manner that poses no danger to fishermen and others who depend on the river for a living. I remain committed to respecting the environmental concerns of the residents of downriver communities and to protecting the environmental vitality of the River and its surrounding areas.

“I am also pleased to report that I was recently able to secure an important extension to the Water Resources Development Act that affects infrastructure projects as well as businesses and communities along the Columbia River. The Section 214 extension will save jobs and promote economic growth by allowing public entities, like ports and municipalities, to help expedite the Army Corps of Engineers’ permit processing for local infrastructure projects. This important extension was signed into law in November.”

Click here to visit Congressman Brian Baird's website

We welcome these organizations who recently joined over 240 other members of the Columbia River Channel Coalition:

• American Potato Trade Alliance
• Benton-Franklin-Walla Walla Good Roads & Transportation
• Union County Chamber of Commerce

Click here for a list of the 245-plus Coalition members

Year 2005 was a record year for Columbia Grain since this export company was formed in 1978.

Wheat demand from Asia had elevators running round-the-clock with an estimated 3.5-7 million tons heading west in 2005. Columbia Grain unloads about 24,000 rail cars and 350 barges of domestic wheat annually from states as far away as Kansas, then ships it to ports from Japan to Africa.

The Pacific Northwest has a reputation for deliverying high-quality grain, which has increased the U.S. wheat exports from 30 percent in the 1980 to about 42 percent today. The Columbia River navigation channel is a key link in that transportation system.

Click here for information regarding Columbia Grain

Please feel free to contact the Columbia River Channel Coalition (CRCC) with any questions, concerns, or information requests. Thank you so much for your partnership in building a stronger economy through maritime trade.