News Release
| Release Number: | 04-123 |
| Dated: | 6/23/2004 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Agreement is last administrative hurdle before construction begins
Portland, Ore. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and five lower Columbia River ports signed an agreement Wednesday that clears the way for construction to begin on the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project.
The agreement - called a project cooperation agreement, or PCA - describes each party's responsibilities and expectations as the project moves forward.
The project aims to deepen the navigation channel between Vancouver, Wash. and the Pacific Ocean, which will allow international shippers to more fully load deep-draft grain and container ships, and to enhance or create more than 2,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat.
"We have reached a major milestone," said Lt. Col. Charles Markham, acting district engineer for the Corps' Portland office. "It took us 14 years to get to this day. But through those years, we have gained a better understanding of the Columbia River, of the natural environment, and of the socio-economic makeup of this region.
"The valuable work we are about to embark on will put this region and the nation on a more solid footing for international trade, and will greatly improve the Columbia River ecosystem for the fish and wildlife, and the people, that call it home."
Signing the PCA opens the door for the Corps to begin construction work. The first efforts will be on ecosystem restoration features and mitigation projects that could begin as early as this summer. Dredging work to deepen the navigation channel will begin in summer 2005, contingent on sufficient funding in the Corps' fiscal year 2005 budget.
The agreement was signed by:
* Lt. Col. Charles Markham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
* Lanny Cawley, Port of Kalama, Wash.
* Ken O'Hallaren, Port of Longview, Wash.
* Bill Wyatt, Port of Portland, Ore.
* Larry Paulson, Port of Vancouver, Wash.
* David Ripp, Port of Woodland, Wash.
The Corps began evaluating improvements to the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel in December 1989. The project was authorized by Congress in 1999 and reaffirmed in 2003.
Additional information on the project, as well as project documentation, is available on the Internet at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/issues/crcip/cms/home.asp
Editor's note: The Port of Portland signed the agreement on behalf of the Port of St. Helens, Ore.