House Passes Brownley-Napolitano Amendment Supporting California Ports and Harbors
Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to an FY 2018 appropriations bill (H.R. 3219) offered by Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-El Monte) that would ensure California’s ports and harbors receive a fair share of funds for port and harbor infrastructure.
“Ventura County’s port and harbors contribute more than $1 billion annually to economic activity and are the source of thousands of jobs in our region,” said Brownley. “It is vitally important that we ensure appropriate and timely dredging and maintenance to keep them functioning at their peak. As a member of the Congressional Ports Caucus, I have worked to ensure adequate resources are provided for the on-going operations and maintenance of our waterways, and this amendment ensures those gains continue.”
“This critically needed amendment requires the Army Corps to be more equitable in distributing harbor maintenance dollars so donor harbors, like the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, receive additional funding for harbor dredging, berth dredging, and environmental remediation,” said Napolitano. “Taxes collected at our harbors continue to be spent to improve other ports across the country, and our amendment will help remedy this unfairness.”
“The Port of Hueneme is grateful for Congresswoman Brownley’s leadership and on-going work to ensure the Port of Hueneme receives its fair share of resources, which is critical for continued infrastructure development and for expanding business opportunities at the port,” said Kristin Decas, CEO of the Port of Hueneme.
The Brownley-Napolitano amendment requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Office of Management and Budget to comply with Section 2102 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, which ensures equitable distribution of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), including for the Great Lakes, donor ports, expanded uses, underserved harbors, and emerging harbors. The HMTF supports port and harbor dredging activities done by the Corps of Engineers. An identical amendment was adopted by the House last year.
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