Public hearing on SB 357 spotlights coastal ports’ dredging costs and who should pay

State Senator David Brock Smith introduced Senate Bill 357 at a March 25 public hearing before the Joint Committee on Transportation, saying the bill would let port districts bill public bodies for sediment removal when runoff from public infrastructure deposits material in port waters. "Senate bill 357 authorizes ports to charge public bodies for the cost of removing sediment from the port waters that's a result of, facilities, owned or controlled by the public body," Smith said.

The bill’s proponents and several port managers described mounting dredging costs and local impacts. Mark Landauer of the Oregon Public Ports Association said ports face steep price increases in dredging driven by labor, fuel and equipment, and cited a case that cost $350,000 in 2017 and about $1.2 million in 2023.…