Over 18 miles of the Columbia River navigation channel near Astoria plus 9 miles near Portland/Vancouver were deepened from 40 to 43 feet during the last half of 2005. Thank you for your support in bringing this economically and environmentally sound project from a mere proposal to an actual project in process!

On December 31, the Dredge Oregon completed pumping approximately 600,000 cubic yards of sandy dredged material to the Port of Vancouver's Columbia Gateway site, where it will be used to enhance the largest single parcel of waterfront industrial property in the Portland/Vancouver area. On January 4, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the completion of this phase of the project.

More than 25 percent of the channel has now been deepened. The $15 million that Congress and the President approved for the project in Fiscal Year 2006, when combined with already-appropriated state matching funds, will enable the Corps of Engineers to deepen another major section of the channel during 2006.

After 15 years of planning and advocacy, we have finally finished the first year of actual channel deepening. One year completed...three more years to go!

Congress has now appropriated a total of $34 million ($15 million for FY06; $9 million for FY05; $3.5 million for FY04; $2 million for FY03; and $4.5 million for FY01) for channel deepening. Oregon and Washington have appropriated all required state matching funds, totaling $55.4 million. Approximately $65 million more in federal funds is necessary to complete the $150.5 million project.

The Coalition is asking the President and Congress to appropriate $40 million in Fiscal Year 2007 to advance the channel deepening project. Stay tuned for the first major step in the FY07 budget process: the submission of the President's budget request to Congress in early February.

Letters supporting the $40 million budget request were sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget by Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, Idaho Grain Producers Association, Identity Clark County, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, National Association of Wheat Growers, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Wheat Growers League, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, and Washington Farm Bureau.

Similar letters to OMB have also been signed in recent weeks by:

Thank you all for your continued support!

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

The Port of Kalama, situated in Southwest Washington, was formed in 1920. It is ideally situated on the Columbia River as well as immediately off Interstate 5 and has direct rail access making it a model location for transportation sensitive companies.

Employing over 1,000 people, the Port pursues its goal of creating jobs for the community. Its newest tenants include ViaTech Publishing, Nascom Inc., and Mile Marker who are the first tenants to locate in the Port’s Kalama River Industrial Park.

Most recently the Port of Kalama entered into a lease with Energy Northwest, a joint operating agency of 19 Washington public power organizations. Energy Northwest will construct a 600-megawatt power complex to produce its own “synthesis gas” to fuel two 300-megawatt power plants; one owned by public power interests, the other under private financing and ownership. Construction of the complex is expected to draw several hundred workers and create approximately 100 permanent family-wage jobs related to operating and maintaining the facilities. The 80-acre site will provide ample room for expansion of the power complex to include possible research and testing of new environmentally friendly energy processes. Estimated design and procurement cost for the power complex is nearly $1 billion.

The Port’s mission is “To induce capital investment in an environmentally responsible manner, to create jobs and to enhance public recreational opportunities.” The Port is governed by elected Commissioners James Lucas, Fred Swanstrom, and Randy Sweet. Lanny Cawley serves as the Port's Executive Director.

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. Senator Gordon Smith from Oregon:

“Even before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Columbia River in 1805, the waterway has been the backbone of trade and livelihood in the Pacific Northwest. Today, it remains a gateway to the world, exporting an average of $15 billion worth of cargo each year, second most on the West Coast. More than 40,000 local jobs are dependent on Columbia River maritime commerce and 59,000 more Northwest jobs benefit indirectly.

“As the world economy changes, it is imperative that Oregon not only keep up, but set the pace. Deepening the channel will provide large ships access to the businesses, farmers, and communities that depend on maritime commerce on the Columbia River. This project will save businesses and farmers millions and it will bolster the economy, create jobs, and increase Oregon’s standing as a leader in world trade.”

Senator Smith recently took the lead in sending a letter to the White House from Northwest Senators in support of channel deepening funding in 2007.

We welcome the newest member who recently joined the Columbia River Channel Coalition:

With a value of $277.5 million in 2002, grass seed is Oregon's fourth largest agricultural product. The overwhelming majority of Northwest-grown grass seed was exported via the Columbia River, until channel depth restrictions recently shifted some container service to Puget Sound ports. A deeper Columbia River channel will bring back more lines of container service, thereby providing a more cost-effective means of export for Northwest grass seed.

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.