Senators Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray and Reps. Rick Larsen, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Suzan DelBene and Derek Kilmer have sent a letter to USACE and the Office of Management and Budget to request funding to fulfill critical dredging and maintenance needs at six small ports and harbors in Washington state.
Ports and harbors, crucial economic drivers in communities throughout Washington state, require regular upkeep, the officials said.
The Ports of Ilwaco and Chinook brought in a total of 15 million pounds of commercial fish landings in 2015 – just one example of small ports’ economic power, according to the Senator Maria Cantwell’s announcement.
“Home to commercial trading and fishing operations, marinas, and recreational facilities, small ports and harbors are critical to the economic health of local communities,” the members wrote in the letter.
“In order to ensure our ports and harbors can continue to operate and serve their communities, we support providing Fiscal Year 2017 funding to the ports of Bellingham, Ilwaco, Chinook, Skagit, Anacortes and Willapa Harbor, and the Quillayute River.”
Full text of the letter