News Release
| Release Number: | 05-084 |
| Dated: | 6/15/2005 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers learned late Wednesday that the U.S. District Court in Seattle ruled the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project can proceed.
The judge ruled that Northwest Environmental Advocate had not proven the federal government erred in conducting and preparing environmental evaluations and documentation.
“We are very pleased to hear the court has agreed with our arguments,” said Laura Hicks, project manager for the Corps. “We have spent the past 15 years evaluating this project and ensuring that it complies with all applicable laws. The judge has validated all that hard work.”
The Corps plans to begin deepening the navigation channel to its newly authorized depth of 43 feet next week. Work will begin at river mile 3 and continue through river mile 16. Additional work may take place later this year along a 10-mile stretch of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Wash.
The Columbia River Channel Improvement Project is a federal effort to deepen the 600-foot-wide Columbia River navigation channel from 40 feet to 43 feet along its 106-mile length from the mouth of the Columbia River to Portland/Vancouver.
The dual purposes are to improve the deep-draft transport of goods on the authorized Columbia River navigation channel and to provide ecosystem restoration for fish and wildlife habitats.
Fifteen years of evaluation has found the project to be in the national interest, providing $18.8 million in annual transportation cost savings. The cost of the project is estimated at $150 million, $95 million of which will be paid for by the federal government. The state of Oregon and Washington will fund the remainder of the costs.