September 25, 2013 — The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 on Thursday, Sept. 19. The bill, according to Fourth District Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, would boost funding for harbor maintenance and direct funding to small Oregon ports.
“Small ports up and down the Oregon coast are critical lifelines that support thousands of fishing jobs and fuel local economies,” DeFazio said in a news release. “The federal government cannot continue to shirk its responsibility to safeguard our infrastructure. We made a commitment to these communities and they have been neglected for too long. This legislation will ensure that our most critical needs will be met in our ports and harbors — no matter what their size.”
Committee passage of the legislation comes as the state of Oregon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. DeFazio and the legislative Coastal Caucus came to an agreement that is allowing dredging the next few weeks at the ports of Umpqua, Siuslaw, Coos Bay and Port Orford.
DeFazio said the federal bill authorizes funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation, flood control and environmental restoration projects.
He said he worked closely with both Democrats and Republicans to ensure, as he put it, that the Corps fulfills its obligation to dredge, rebuild and maintain ports and harbors.