News Release
| Release Number: | 00-178 |
| Dated: | 9/28/2000 |
| Contact: | Public Affairs Office, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. – Denials of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permit applications that would allow the Corps to continue progress toward deepening the Columbia River federal navigation channel is spurring renewed efforts to resolve agency concerns.
The Corps applied to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Washington Department of Ecology in fall 1999 for standard 401 Water Quality Certification and Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) permits. Since that time they have continued to work with the agencies to resolve any questions that arose during the interim. Those permit applications were denied today.
"The agencies issued their denials without prejudice, which simply means they will detail specifically the standards we have not met. We understand their concerns," said Laura Hicks, Channel Improvement project manager. "This action will allow us to work together to see that all environmental safeguards are in place prior to the start of construction. The Corps will coordinate with the agencies to resolve these issues.
"We stand behind our earlier work," Hicks added, "but we have a few more hurdles to get over before the 401 certificates will be issued. The Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently reinitiated consultation on the no-jeopardy biological opinion they issued in December 1999 and withdrew in August 2000. This new piece could dovetail very well with the work we are doing with NMFS. We believe the channel improvement project is economically and environmentally sound. The agency denials allow us to make sure we are all starting at the same place."
Congress, which authorized the project during its 1999 session, must still appropriate funds for the work. The estimated cost of the proposed 43-foot channel, including environmental restoration of 250 acres in the estuary and $5.6 million of wetland and riparian habitat restoration at Shillapoo Lake, Wash., is about $188.3 million.