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Cedar Port bills prompt dispute with Chambers‑Liberty navigation district over submerged‑land compensation
Summary
Cedar Port Navigation and Improvement District's bid to modernize its statutory powers and to clarify dredged‑material authority produced contrasting testimony. Cedar Port board members and supporters said the changes will help the district act as a nonfederal sponsor for a new federally authorized channel; representatives of the Chambers‑Liberty
Two related bills involving Cedar Port and navigation‑district authority drew extended testimony and an objection from the neighboring Chambers‑Liberty County Navigation District (CLCND) over submerged‑land compensation and potential condemnation.
Scope of the measures: Senator Creighton said the bills would modernize Cedar Port Navigation & Improvement District’s powers to better align the district with other navigation districts, enable it to act as a nonfederal sponsor for a federally authorized ship channel, and clarify authority to manage and relocate dredged material for beneficial uses such as wetland restoration and breakwater construction.
Proponents’ case: Clayton Henderson, a Cedar Port board member, described a federal feasibility study and said Cedar Port seeks to become the nonfederal sponsor to the Army Corps of Engineers for a new channel connecting Cedar Port to the Houston Ship Channel. Henderson said the project could generate “over $20 billion” in economic impact for the county and state, create beneficial‑use islands for habitat restoration and resilience, and reduce truck traffic that currently routes containers around Galveston Bay.
Opposition and core concern: Claudia Sandoval, general manager and Nathan Vassar, counsel for Chambers‑Liberty County Navigation District, testified in opposition to the bill as drafted. CLCND said it owns submerged lands and has been negotiating with Cedar Port and a private developer, Trans Global Solutions (TGS), but has not reached agreement on fees and compensation. Sandoval said CLCND is “excited” by the project but fears its property could be subject to condemnation without adequate compensation. Counsel said negotiations have included offers that changed scope multiple times and that the district wanted explicit protections in legislation to avoid involuntary loss of submerged‑land interests.
Committee discussion and next steps: Members pressed the witnesses on valuation, timing and potential remedies. Committee members and both districts said they preferred a negotiated settlement but that differences over valuation and payment timing persist. Several senators urged the two districts to work toward an amendment; CLCND said it had proposed language to the sponsor’s office.
Outcome: The committee left the bills pending. Senators and witnesses said they hoped to resolve property‑compensation language by amendment rather than pursue a statutory condemnation path.
Ending: The dispute centers on how to treat submerged land that could be impacted by a major federal channel project; sponsors emphasized regional economic benefits, while the local navigation district pressed for contractual safeguards and fair compensation.
