The U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation Monday that ensures funds intended for harbor maintenance are used for that purpose.
The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund makes it easier for Congress to appropriate funds collected in the trust fund for authorized harbor maintenance needs. This includes the fund’s existing $9.5 billion balance.
The bill also enables, over the next decade, an expenditure of approximately $34 billion. This would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge all federal harbors to their constructed depths and widths.
“Today was a win, years in the making, for our nation’s coastal communities, and members of the maritime workforce,” Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and author of the bill, said. “Congress finally passed the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act, legislation to ensure our ports and harbors receive the funding they need to ensure they are fully operational. As someone who represents a coastal district, I’ve heard from countless fishermen, ship, tug and barge operators about the critical need for safe and well-maintained ports and harbors that allow them to do their jobs and keep our economy moving. These are fees already collected by the Federal government and it’s about time the money is used for its intended purpose—harbor maintenance.”