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Port projects included in WRDA; May Washington trip planned to seek FY26 funding
Summary
Navigation staff reported that port projects were included in the Water Resources Development Act and said the port will seek funding during a May trip to Washington; staff also noted NOAA eased Atlantic right whale speed-limit requirements, which may set a precedent.
Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District navigation staff told the board on Jan. 30 that projects the port seeks were included in the recently signed Water Resources Development Act and that the next step is to pursue funding.
Mister Channing said the port is coordinating with the Picard Group and planning a trip to Washington in May to present the port’s case to the Army Corps, the Office of Management and Budget and other federal stakeholders. He said the goal is to request funding for studies and projects in fiscal year 2026. "We're in conversations with the Picard Group on how we're gonna approach this. We've got our usual trip to Washington... That's scheduled for May," Channing said.
Channing also told the board that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has pulled back certain speed-limit requirements for the Atlantic right whale, and he said the port believes that development could be a useful precedent for Gulf whale management. "NOAA has, pulled back their requirements for the speed limit on the Atlantic right whale, and we believe that that will be a good precedent for the Gulf..." he said.
The navigation update concluded with staff offering to answer questions; no formal board action was requested at the meeting. The items will inform the port’s federal advocacy and grant-seeking schedule for the coming year.
