Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Port Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lawmakers hear support for SB 361 funding assistance for coastal port dredging
Summary
Senate Bill 361 drew testimony from ports asking for partial state funding for needed maintenance dredging; proponents described planned projects and a dash amendment that would cover roughly half of identified project costs.
Senate Bill 361, heard March 25 by the Joint Committee on Transportation, would provide targeted state assistance for dredging projects at several Oregon ports; proponents described specific projects, planned permitting and a proposed amendment that would fund a portion of projected costs.
Senator David Brock Smith, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the dash amendment would direct funds to several ports and that dredging needs and methods vary port-to-port. "You're talking about the health life and safety of, of, not only our commercial fishing fleet, but also recreating voters and the economic impact that they bring," Smith said.
Mark Landauer of the Oregon Public Ports Association said a dash 2 amendment under consideration would add the ports of Garibaldi, Astoria and the International Port of Coos Bay; he said authorized funding in the amendment would cover 50% of projected costs for those projects and that the work would occur in 2025 within in-water windows set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Port managers described local need and financing strategies. Matt Friesen, representing the Port of Coos Bay, said recurring shoaling at the Charleston Marina jeopardizes navigation to a main fuel dock, dozens of slips and seafood processing facilities and that temporary mitigations are not long-term solutions. "Without adequate funding the port's ability to maintain safe navigation and ensure continued access to the Charleston Marina Complex will be a challenge going forward," Friesen said.
Paula Miranda, executive director of the Port of Newport, said her port paid roughly $350,000 about six years ago for a dredging event and about $1.2 million more recently. She said Newport relies heavily on tourism and that some boats have struck bottom because the recreational marina has not been dredged in about 27 years. "We're trying to see if we can get at least 50% because, again, this is just maintenance," Miranda said.
Jeff Griffin (Port of Bandon) and Travis Webster (Port of Brookings Harbor) reiterated that dredging is expensive and that some ports have relied on a mix of grants, loans and internal dredges; the Port of Brookings reported purchase of a dredge using FEMA funds from a 2019 disaster but still estimated significant annual sediment inputs and backlog.
Committee members noted the bill appears intended to be partial funding rather than full coverage and asked whether local matching would be required. Senator Brock Smith and Mark Landauer indicated projects would require local share and existing permitting; Landauer said the amendment’s funding represented roughly half the total project cost for ports listed.
The committee closed the public hearing on SB 361 with no recorded vote. Written testimony and photographs were submitted for the record. No committee motion or final action on the bill was taken at the hearing.
