Yesterday, the U.S. House-Senate conference committee on the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill agreed to $15 million in funding for the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project to deepen the lower Columbia River navigation channel from 40 to 43 feet. The committee also agreed to provide $17 million to repair jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River.

The Northwest Congressional delegation worked collaboratively to obtain this funding. In particular, the Pacific Northwest Members on the conference committee - Senators Patty Murray (WA), Larry Craig (ID), and Conrad Burns (MT) and Congressmen Mike Simpson (ID) and Denny Rehberg (MT) deserve special thanks for championing these projects.

Construction work to deepen the channel began in June using state matching funds and the $9 million FY2005 federal appropriation. The Army Corps of Engineers is on track to deepen up to 27 miles of the channel by the end of 2005 -- more than one fourth of the channel between the mouth and Portland/Vancouver.

The $17 million in jetty repair funding is also significant because two parts of the south jetty risk imminent failure. A jetty failure could close down the mouth of the river to safe navigation, so this funding was critical to keeping the $16 billion worth of cargo flowing in and out of our region on the Columbia River each year.

The compromise bill approved yesterday will now go back to both the House and Senate for final approval and then to the President to be signed into law.

Washington and Oregon have already appropriated the full state matching funds of $55.4 million for the project. When completed, the additional three feet of depth will allow each bulk ship to carry 6,000 additional tons of grain and each container ship to carry hundreds of additional containers, making Columbia River port calls more cost-effective for ocean carriers and Northwest businesses and farmers.

On October 21, Northwest Congressional staff members joined the Coalition to tour the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' hopper dredge Essayons during dredging of the lower Columbia River navigation channel. The Essayons is the latest dredge to be built for the Corps of Engineers. Delivered to the Portland District in 1983, the Essayons helps maintain the entrance bars, rivers, and harbors. Because of its size and dredging depth, the Essayons is particularly well-suited for dredging larger coastal entrances with its automatic dragarm handling system. Sophisticated instrumentation allows constant production monitoring and enables the dredge crew of 44 civil service mariners to maintain maximum dredging efficiency 24 hours a day. This hopper dredge is critical for maintaining the lower Columbia River navigation channel.

We thank the following Congressional staff members who took time to attend this informational tour:

Additional tours of the Essayons will be scheduled in the future. Please let us know if you are interested.

This "Spotlight" column is a new series highlighting the important work of a member of the Columbia River Channel Coalition. We begin this month with the Port of Vancouver:

The Port of Vancouver, USA has earned a reputation in the global marketplace for efficient handling of niche cargo through modernized facilities, excellent labor relations, and quality logistics operations while performing a leadership role in the economic development of the Southwest Washington region. The Port’s location at the crossroads of ocean-bound and river shipping lanes, interstate highways, and national rail lines is one of its strongest attributes.

With the completion of $70 million in renovations to its four marine terminals and 12 berths, including more than 1.2 million square feet of dockside warehousing, the Port is poised to take advantage of rapidly expanding Pacific Rim trade. Its land bank of over 1,300 acres makes the Port of Vancouver an attractive destination, particularly for shippers of automotive imports, bulk, and break bulk cargo, who face intense competition from container cargo for space at other West Coast ports.

An industry award for the damage-free handling of more than 41,000 Subaru imports in 2004, the handling of gigantic components for an 83-unit wind turbine farm in eastern Washington, and a new export of nearly 200,000 metric tons of scrap metal are the types of projects that exemplify the Port of Vancouver’s versatility and proficiency in maritime operations.

A key partner in channel deepening, the Port of Vancouver is now rallying its sister ports to secure funding for expansion of regional road and rail connections necessary to attract projected trade growth for the economic benefit of our communities.

This "Congressional Corner" column is a new series sharing the perspective of Northwest Members of Congress -- in their own words -- on Columbia River issues. We begin with U.S. Senator Patty Murray:

"Making the Columbia River deeper -- so it can accommodate today's vessels and lower the cost of trade for our farmers -- is the right thing to do. A deeper channel means more trade, more jobs, and more opportunity. A deeper channel is going to make life better for farmers in Central and Eastern Washington, for businesses up and down the Columbia, for communities in Washington and Oregon, and for families throughout the region.

"But making the channel deeper, and then ignoring the jetties at the mouth of the river, doesn't make much sense. We know that thousands of feet of the north and south jetties have been lost to storms, and they could fail. Our investment in the channel will be lost if a jetty breaks, and the mouth of the river is closed.

"We all know that the Columbia River is the economic engine of the entire region, and we’re making that engine even stronger and more powerful."

Please welcome the following organization that recently officially joined the Coalition:

Maritime transportation is vitally important for international trade. Ocean-going vessels move over 95% of U.S. overseas trade by weight and 75% by value. In the Columbia/Snake River region, marine shipping accounts for an even greater volume of our region's international trade: 99% of our foreign trade by weight and 72% by value.

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.