Capps Announces Emergency Funding For Channel Islands Harbor Dredging
Today Congresswoman Lois Capps announced that funding will immediately be made available to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure the Channel Islands Harbor will be dredged on schedule. Until this breakthrough it was feared that the Harbor would not be dredged this year, a situation that would have endangered the economic vitality of the Harbor and put at risk thousands of commercial and recreational boaters.
Earlier this year, Capps was able to ensure that the $5.1 million dollars in funding for the project was included in the FY 2007 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, but that funding bill is one of several that have not yet been enacted into law. Instead, the Army Corps and most of the government have been operating under a temporary funding measure since October 1st, the beginning of the fiscal year. Unfortunately, that temporary funding measure contains limitations on Army Corps funding of dredging projects like Channel Islands. Since there is only a narrow time frame of a few weeks that the dredging can be conducted at the Harbor, the delay in Army Corps funding meant that the Harbor would likely go without dredging for two years.
Dredging in Channel Islands Harbor is essential maintenance and critical to the economic vitality of the Harbor and local community. Local officials had already made the necessary arrangements to begin the dredging work so that it could be conducted in coordination with the various other navigation projects on the West Coast. However, the lack of funding immediately available for this dredging project threatened that planning. Congresswoman Capps, working with local and federal officials, requested and received accelerated funding on an emergency basis in order to ensure that this critical project could be undertaken on time.
"I am pleased that the Federal Government honored my request and provided the necessary emergency funding to avert this crisis," said Capps. "Properly maintaining Channel Island Harbor through routine dredging is essential to the economic wellbeing of the Harbor and local community, as well as the safety of thousands of commercial and recreational boaters."
"We deeply appreciate Congresswoman Capps' time and energy to assist us during a very busy time in Washington," said Lyn Krieger, Harbor Director. "Without her assistance, Channel Islands Harbor, the City of Port Hueneme, and points south would have been at risk this winter."
http://www.house.gov/list/speech/ca23_capps/morenews/pr061121_channelislandsemergencydredging.html