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1 1 (February 15, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govceut0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01; &so-a re sea.rch & Updated February 15, 2017 Harbor Deepening: Federal Studies and Construction Projects Deep-draft coastal harbors handle a large volume of U.S. imports and exports. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is responsible for improving and maintaining federal navigation channels. An issue for Congress is that demand for the Corps to deepen harbors outpaces what the agency delivers at recent funding levels. Deka,, ,ior ,,e ' ,ors The potential for more goods to be transported by larger vessels has led many ports and communities on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico to pursue Corps harbor- deepening projects. Several ports on the U.S. West Coast already have depths of more than 50 feet (ft). Some West Coast harbors are naturally deep; they typically require less effort to create and maintain their channels than other harbors. Following the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2016, larger vessels with deeper drafts (i.e., up to 50 ft) are able to transit the canal under normal operating conditions. The expanded canal provides a route for deeper- draft vessels to move between Asia and U.S. harbors on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Questions remain regarding how U.S. trade responds to larger vessels, the Panama Canal expansion, congestion at West Coast harbors, and the dynamics of markets for shipped goods. Changes in shipping patterns and volumes remain difficult to predict. For example, some ports handle specific types of commercial traffic (e.g., petroleum tankers). Also, shipping patterns are shaped by the competitiveness of alternative transportation means, such as transport by transcontinental railroad. These and other factors make it difficult to anticipate where and when the nation would most benefit from deepening specific harbors. The Corps maintains multiple harbors with depths greater than 50 ft in some commercial channels: Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Long Beach on the West Coast, and some channels of the New York and New Jersey Harbor, Baltimore, Norfolk, and Miami on the East Coast. Other harbors are being studied for deepening (Table 1) or have been authorized for deepening (Table 2). Federal funding is being used in early FY2017 for the deepening of the Delaware River Main Channel to 45 ft and of Savannah Harbor to 47 ft. Congress authorized eight other projects for depths of 45 ft or more in 2014 and in late 2016. Table 2 shows that the majority of these projects have yet to receive federal construction funds. Table I. Studies for Deepening to 45 Feet or More Studied Change in Authorized Studies deptha(feet) Depth (feet) Houston-Galveston System, TX 40 to 45 Manatee Harbor, FL 40 to 45 Mobile Harbor, AL 45 to 55 Port of Beaumont, TX 40 to 48 Mississippi R. Ship Channel, LA 45 to 50 Norfolk Harbor, VA 50 to 55 San Juan Harbor, PR 35 to 50 Seattle Harbor, WA 51 to 55 Source: CRS using Corps project data. Portions of the Houston- Galveston System are already at 45 feet. Table 2. Authorized Corps Construction Projects for Harbor Deepening to 45 Feet or More FY2016 FY2017 Existing to Year of Construction Project Name Work Plan Request Improved Author- Cost Benefit- & Location (millions) (millions) Depth (feet) ization (millions) Cost Ratio Delaware River Main Channel, $22 $3 40 to 45 2000 $389 1.3 NJ, PA, and DE Savannah Harbor, GA $45 $42 42 to 47 2014 $703 5.5 Freeport Harbor, TX - - 46 to 56 2014 $239 1.9 Corpus Christi Ship Channel, TX - - 45 to 54 2014 $353 2.6 Boston Harbor, MA - - 40 to 51 2014 $311 7.2 Sabine Neches Waterway, TX - - 40 to 48 2014 $1,114 1.3 Jacksonville Harbor, FL - - 40 to 47 2014 $601 2.7 Brazos Island Harbor, TX - - 44 to 52 2016 $210 1.5 Charleston Harbor - - 45 to 52 2016 $503 3.9 Port Everglades - - 42 to 48 2016 $337 2.9 Sources: CRS using P.L. 114-322, P.L. 1 13-12 1, Corps FY2016 Work Plan, Corps FY2017 Budget Request, and Corps project documents. Notes: Benefit-cost ratio (BCR) shown was the ratio used for purposes of congressional construction authorization. For more on use of BCRs in Corps planning and budgeting, see CRS Report R44594, Discount Rates in the Economic Evaluation of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Projects. 'O 'T gognko 'popmm ggmm g 'S a X

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