Posted on August 5, 2020
SALEM — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 on Thursday, which would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to spend $34 billion for harbor dredging over the next decade and possibly put a project in Newburyport Harbor closer on the horizon.
Congressman Seth Moulton wrote a letter to the state Committee on Transportation asking it to increase the amount of money from the harbor maintenance trust fund that it devotes to small harbors, and in response, the committee increased the percentage from 10% to 20%, meaning as much as $6.8 billion of the money would be set aside for small harbors.
“Across the country, small harbors like ours are overlooked by Congress, which tends to favor massive port infrastructure projects,” Moulton said in a press release. “Small harbors are just as important to our economies as large ports are to big cities, and in many cases, they are part of our identity. This is a great win, but now I have to work to make sure this money survives negotiations with the Senate so dredging projects like Newburyport Harbor will have a better shot at getting funded.”
The Water Resources Development Act is the latest edition of bipartisan legislation enacted every two years to fund infrastructure that supports U.S. waterways. Congress also uses the bill to conduct oversight of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for building and maintaining the nation’s harbors, rivers and dams.
In a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Transportation, Moulton noted the pressing needs for harbor dredging on the North Shore and asked for an increase in the formula that determines which projects get funded.
In the past, it’s been customary for the committee to devote 10% of the bill’s money to pay for all of the dredging and maintenance projects in the nation’s small harbors, which Congress defines as ports that handle less than 1 million tons of cargo annually.
If the plan to fully spend the harbor maintenance trust fund survives negotiation, Moulton’s push will mean $6.8 billion of the $34 billion the Army Corps of Engineers could spend on port dredging will come to small harbors.
The trust fund accrues money through taxes levied on companies that use ports to ship commercial goods. The concept is similar to how states pay for road maintenance through tolls. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers makes an annual work plan that determines how the trust fund’s money is spent.
Source: newburyportnews
