Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA), co-chairman of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, introduced a bipartisan amendment in the House of Representatives to ensure that funds for harbor maintenance are used as intended and not diverted for other purposes.
The amendment, co-authored by Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), was passed unanimously by a voice vote.
“The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has carried a surplus since 1997. At the end of fiscal year 2012, the Trust Fund had an estimated $7 billion surplus that was not spent on harbor maintenance. Yet, our harbors are under-maintained. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that full channel dimensions at the nation’s busiest 59 ports are available less than 35 percent of the time. That’s unacceptable, and just from an economic standpoint, should be unacceptable too, ” stated Kelly.
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Dredging Today Staff, July 24, 2013