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S. HRG. 111–1237 

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2010: 

JOBS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

MAY 6, 2010 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

BARBARA BOXER, California, Chairman 

MAX BAUCUS, Montana 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey 

BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland 

BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico 

JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon 

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York 

ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania 

JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma 

GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio 

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana 

JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming 

MIKE CRAPO, Idaho 

CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri 

LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee 

BETTINA POIRIER, Staff Director 

RUTH VAN MARK, Minority Staff Director 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

MAY 6, 2010 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

Boxer, Hon. Barbara, U.S. Senator from the State of California ........................ 1 

Inhofe, Hon. James M., U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma, prepared 

statement .............................................................................................................. 73 

Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L., U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland, prepared 

statement .............................................................................................................. 77 

WITNESSES 

Kavinoky, Janet F., Director of Transportation Infrastructure, Congressional 

and Public Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Executive Director, Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition ........................................................ 2 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 5 

Uno, Victor, President of the Board of Commissioners, Port of Oakland, 

California .............................................................................................................. 27 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 29 

Woodruff, Matt, Director, Government Affairs, Kirby Corporation ..................... 40 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 42 

Responses to additional questions from Senator Vitter ................................ 52 

White, Mitch, General Counsel, Southern California Office, Manson Construction Co.; immediate past Chair, Association of General Contractors of America, Federal and Heavy Construction Division .................................................. 60 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 63 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL 

Statement of the American Society of Civil Engineers ........................................ 79 

Testimony submitted by the National Association of Flood and Stormwater 

Management Agencies ......................................................................................... 87 

(1) 

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT 

OF 2010: JOBS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES 

THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS, 

Washington, DC. 

The full Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:35 a.m. in room 

406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Barbara Boxer (Chairman of the full Committee) presiding. 

Present: Senators Boxer, Inhofe, Klobuchar, Udall, and Alexander. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA BOXER, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

Senator BOXER. The hearing will come to order. 

Because we have a vote scheduled shortly, I wanted to get 

through all of the panelists. So, I would ask unanimous consent 

that my statement be placed in the record. And since there is nobody here to object, my full statement will be placed in the record. 

Today’s hearing will examine the ways investment in our Nation’s water resources infrastructure creates and saves jobs and increases America’s economic competitiveness. This is the kick off 

hearing as we begin our efforts to develop a Water Resources Development Act of 2010, known as WRDA, which will authorize the 

projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

As Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, job creation is a top priority, and we will hear from the witnesses today that water infrastructure investment is a proven job 

creator. The U.S. Army Corps estimates that every $1 billion in 

Federal investment in water resource projects creates approximately 26,000 jobs. 

Investments in our Nation’s water resources not only create and 

sustain jobs in the short term; they do help us with economic recovery. They provide benefits to America’s families and businesses 

every day, including maintaining navigation routes for commerce, 

reducing the risk of flooding, and restoring our precious ecosystems. 

I look forward to working with Senator Inhofe and all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward with the WRDA 

bill this year. I am hopeful we can repeat the success we had in 

2007 when we worked closely together to enact a WRDA bill. With 
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overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate, we even overcame 

a veto and overrode a veto on that bill. 

From trade to transportation, disaster prevention to rural recreation, WRDA and the projects, policies and programs that it authorizes are essential components of creating jobs and keeping our 

economy growing. In California, where we are facing some of our 

Nation’s most critical water resource needs, many communities rely 

on projects and programs authorized by WRDA. 

Today on our panel we have a very distinguished representative, 

Mr. Victor Uno. He is representing the Port of Oakland, which has 

benefited significantly from past WRDA bills that authorized the 

Corps to deepen the Port’s navigation channel. You cannot have a 

port if the channel is not deep enough. That is obvious. And so, the 

improvements that we made were critical to bringing ships into the 

port and jobs associated with one of the busiest ports in the world. 

My State also faces significant flood risk as a number of critical 

flood protection projects across the State that are necessary to protect life and property and ensure that California maintains its competitiveness. Water Resources Development Act of 2007 made significant progress on flood control projects in our capital of Sacramento and many other cities across the State. It is important 

that we build on that success. 

I am grateful to colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their interest in this issue. I look forward to moving forward together on 

a Water Resources Development Act that ensures progress on important projects and programs that create jobs, support commerce 

and promote recovery and long-term prosperity. 

So, with that, we are going to open it up. We have a very distinguished panel. Janet Kavinoky is the Director of Transportation Infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We have worked 

with her in the past on many issues, and we are very happy to 

have her here. She is also the Executive Director of the Americans 

for Transportation Mobility Coalition. 

With that, Janet, please start. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Boxer was not received at 

time of print.] 

STATEMENT OF JANET F. KAVINOKY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, CONGRESSIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICANS FOR TRANSPORTATION MOBILITY COALITION 

Ms. KAVINOKY. Thank you, Chairman Boxer, for the opportunity 

to testify today on reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act. 

Today I will focus on the Army Corps of Engineers’ navigation 

mission. But I want to start by acknowledging the Corps’ other critical economic and environmental efforts, including flood risk management. I know you are going to hear more about these from my 

fellow panelists. 

The Chamber is a champion of maintaining, modernizing and expanding infrastructure in order to create and sustain jobs in the 

near term and to support U.S. economic growth and competitiveness in the long run. Movement of waterborne cargo and related 
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economic activities contribute more than $742 billion annually to 

the U.S. GDP, sustaining more than 13 million jobs. These jobs can 

be found at ports, on vessels, in shipyards, in factories, fields and 

industrial facilities, and throughout the services sector. 

Both the Chamber and President Obama have called for doubling 

U.S. exports within 5 years. One-third of all waterborne commerce 

tonnage is for export and requires a reliable and cost effective marine transportation system that links coastal ports and waterways, 

the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway to keep U.S. goods 

competitive in the global marketplace. 

One in four manufacturing jobs depends on exports. Nucor, the 

Nation’s largest steel manufacturer and recycler, employs 21,000 

people nationwide. Because water transportation minimizes the 

cost of transporting raw materials, and 60 percent of its steel mills, 

including in Memphis, have access to deep water, Nucor is well positioned to expand its exports and its jobs. 

One in three acres on American farms is planted for consumers 

overseas. In any given year, 60 percent of all bulk agricultural exports are moved via the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and 

over 85 percent of Oregon wheat is shipped through the Nation’s 

No. 1 wheat and barley export gateway, the Columbia and Snake 

River system. 

Let us focus for a moment on the transportation services sector 

that moves goods, such as Blessey Marine Services, headquartered 

in Harahan, Louisiana, with 500 vessel employees on nearly 60 

boats safely transporting liquid products up and down the Mississippi. And Nashville-based Ingram Barge, employing over 2,000 

people who operate more than 130 towboats and 4,000 barges. 

Even during the economic downturn, Ingram was hiring employees 

and continuing to buy new barges. In fact, in 2008 U.S. shipbuilding constructed over 1,200 domestic vessels, employing thousands of working in shipyards and related industries. 

And of course every ship needs a port. The Port of Long Beach 

supports one out of every eight jobs in that city alone. The Port of 

Baltimore generates more than 50,000 jobs. Over 160,000 people 

are employed thanks to the Port of New Orleans. 

And of course ports are not just on the coasts. The Tulsa Port 

of Catoosa is one of the largest and most inland river ports in the 

United States, with 63 industrial facilities employing 4,000 people 

in manufacturing, distribution and processing of products ranging 

from agricultural commodities to consumer goods. 

There should be no question that a marine transportation system 

that is prepared to meet future demand for safe, reliable and efficient domestic and international freight movement creates and sustains jobs, and it grows the economy. 

But are we prepared? Locks, dams and levees are outdated, overwhelmed, and in some cases literally falling apart. And repair and 

replacement can take years, even decades. The cost associated with 

failing infrastructure is significant. In 2003 an 8-week closure at 

the Greenup Locks and Dam Gate on the Ohio River cost $13.2 

million in transportation delays, and the ripple effects totaled $30 

million. Unfortunately, the same assets failed recently, costing 

barge operators $2 million a week in estimated losses. 
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This Committee has the opportunity through WRDA reauthorization to address the lack of a coordinated Federal investment and 

management strategy, to establish priorities for addressing the 

backlog of leads, to increase and stabilize investment levels, and to 

create the conditions for successful project delivery. 

Today, the Chamber respectfully submits to you its Marine 

Transportation Policy Statement with recommendations in each of 

these areas. We also endorse the Inland Marine Transportation 

Systems Capital Projects Business Model, developed jointly by the 

Inland Waterway User Board and the Army Corps of Engineers. It 

contains practical, long-term solutions for addressing the needs of 

the inland waterway system by prioritizing projects and outlining 

a potential funding solution. 

In closing, I hope you will consider the Chamber a resource as 

you develop the WRDA bill. We will work with you to ensure that 

it maximizes job creation and economic growth. 

Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today, and 

I am happy to take any of your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Kavinoky follows:] 
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Senator BOXER. I want to thank you very much. It is good to be 

on a team with the Chamber. We are not always, but we are on 

this, and we are on the Highway bill, and I think that is crucial. 

We have been joined by Senator Udall. We are going to have a 

vote early this morning, so what we are going to try to do is get 

through and then have time for some questions. 

So, our next panelist is near and dear to my heart. Victor Uno 

is the President of the Board of Port Commissioners for the Port 

of Oakland. And Mr. Uno is also the Business Manager for the 

International Brotherhood Electrical Workers Local 595. He began 

his career over 30 years ago working on the berths at the Port of 

Oakland, so it must be quite a thrill for him now to make policy 

on the Board. 

Welcome. 

STATEMENT OF VICTOR UNO, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF 

COMMISSIONERS, PORT OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 

Mr. UNO. Thank you and good morning, Chairman Boxer, and it 

is a thrill to be here today. I thank you for holding these hearings 

today on the critical need to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2010. 

I am Victor Uno, President of the Board of Port Commissioners 

at our Port of Oakland. Along with six fellow Commissioners, our 

dedicated Port leadership and staff and our work force, we have 

been working daily to protect thousands of jobs directly connected 

to the seaport and airport and the tens of thousands of jobs that 

depend on the Port’s ability to compete for international trade. 

Our Port, like nearly every American trade gateway, is facing 

unprecedented competition from our neighbors in Canada and Mexico. We have all suffered sharp drops in shipping volumes during 

the recession resulting in large revenue losses industry-wide. We 

are now working cooperatively as never before to bring back our 

freight business and secure the investments in our infrastructure 

that we need to compete during the ongoing economic recovery. 

For America’s ports to succeed, we need your help. We need a 

WRDA bill this year to get our critical maritime and other vital infrastructure projects moving. 

Our Port of Oakland covers 18 miles of waterfront on the eastern 

shore of the San Francisco Bay, with nearly 1,000 acres devoted to 

maritime activities and another 2,600 acres devoted to aviation. 

Our Port is the third busiest container port on the West Coast and 

the fifth busiest in the Nation. It is also one of the leading export 

gateways for American products, especially for agriculture from 

throughout the Nation and particularly California’s Central Valley. 

Our airport is the second largest airport in the Bay Area, serving 

nearly 10 million passengers per year and also among the top 20 

air cargo airports in the United States. 

Our maritime and aviation operations are both deeply affected by 

WRDA. WRDA is critical to funding our large scale modernization 

projects. In 2001, for example, using the authority given by WRDA, 

construction began on the Port of Oakland’s $436 million, 50-foot 

depth harbor deepening project. This project has now given us the 

ability to support the latest generation of larger, more efficient container vessels. 
28 

The last environmental phase of the project is being completed 

this year, and the total project is already providing enormous benefits to the region. The dredging leveraged landside Port investments such as marine terminal expansion and the development of 

an intermodal rail yard. Over 8,800 jobs in construction, engineering, maritime, trucking and shipping were created. Annual business revenues for the region were increased by $1.9 billion, and 

local tax revenues were increased by $62 million per year. 

The dredged materials were reused to restore hundreds of acres 

of wetlands along the northern reaches of the San Francisco Bay, 

providing a huge environmental benefit to California. The economic 

benefits gained from WRDA have given the 50-foot project an extraordinary 11 to 1 benefit-to-cost ratio. 

In short, Senators, WRDA works. WRDA puts people to work. We 

have Senator Boxer and this Committee to thank for the 50-foot 

project and for each job that project created. 

Now, during these challenging economic times, Oakland once 

again needs help that only WRDA can provide. I need to comment 

on a critical issue that desperately needs your support. 

Our airport, Oakland International Airport, is located along the 

waterfront of the San Francisco Bay. It was built on landfill reclaimed from the Bay, and the runway is barely above sea level, 

protected behind an aging levee constructed in segments beginning 

in the 1950s. 

Last year the Federal Emergency Management Agency concluded 

that our airport’s levee failed to meet the standards to prevent severe seasonal flooding, over-topping during storms and seismic 

events. If any of these events were to occur the airport could suffer 

hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage, in addition to 

stopping all of our air operations, halting emergency response efforts and putting lives at risk. This would be an unacceptable 

though avoidable disaster. 

The Port of Oakland is under Federal obligation to reconstruct 

our airport levee which is estimated to cost over $60 million. That 

is why we will be asking your support to help rebuild our levee to 

modern standards, reduce its vulnerability to seismic events and 

complete all of the environmental wetlands mitigation required 

under State and Federal law. 

We are already working in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps 

to expedite this levee work. If we can obtain WRDA authority for 

the levee project, it will bring millions of dollars for construction 

that will create hundreds of new jobs in the Bay area. Most importantly, the work will preserve the tens of thousands of jobs that 

rely on a vibrant and well functioning airport every day. 

On behalf of the Port of Oakland and my fellow Commissioners, 

I ask you, the members of this Committee, to do everything within 

your power to pass WRDA. Please give us the resources we need 

to create jobs, modernize our infrastructure, and promote economic 

growth in our region. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Uno follows:] 
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Senator BOXER. Thank you so very much. 

For my colleagues who arrived, we are going to have a vote early 

this morning. So, we are getting through the witnesses. I will give 

up my question time to you. So, we will start off with Senator 

Udall, then go to Alexander and Klobuchar. 

So, let us continue. Matt Woodruff hails from Houston, Texas. He 

is the Director of Government Affairs for the Kirby Corporation, 

the Nation’s largest operator of inland tank barges. 

Welcome, sir. 

STATEMENT OF MATT WOODRUFF, DIRECTOR, 

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, KIRBY CORPORATION 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Thank you. Also, I am a member of the Inland 

Waterways Users Board, which is the group established in WRDA 

1986 to advise the Corps and Congress on matters related to construction on our inland waterways. 

Our inland waterways system is a national treasure. Low cost 

waterway transportation helps our farmers and manufacturers stay 

competitive in tough world markets. When you talk about the future of the waterways, you are talking about the future of a large 

segment of our economy. 

Today, I want to tell you about a 20-year plan to keep our waterways reliable and bring billions of dollars in benefits to our economy, creating and maintaining a host of jobs along the way. We 

need this Committee’s help for this vision to become a reality. 

Barges are the most cost efficient way to move the bulk commodities that are the building blocks of our Nation’s economy. Barges 

are the greenest, safest and most energy efficient mode of surface 

transportation. 

A truck can move a ton of cargo 155 miles on a gallon of fuel. 

A train can move that cargo 413 miles. But a barge will move it 

576 miles on that same gallon of fuel. Moving cargo by rail generates about 39 percent more CO2 than barges. Moving that same 

cargo by truck generates 371 percent more. A typical 15-barge river 

tow can take 1,050 truckloads of cargo off the highways. 

[Diagram shown.] 

Mr. WOODRUFF. The diagram there gives you a little bit of an indication on the right, trucks, railcars and barges. If the cargo that 

is transported by barges today were instead transported by trucks 

on our interstates, heavy truck traffic would nearly double. If you 

put it all on trains, rail traffic would increase by 25 percent. Attached to my written testimony are some materials summarizing 

these and other facts related to barge transportation. 

Today, our inland waterways projects are under-funded, over 

budget and years past their planned completion dates. We spend— 

or we spent—the surplus in the Trust Fund and have far too little 

to show for it. We place too much emphasis on starting projects 

and not enough on finishing them. We need to fix the system. 

Several years ago, the senior leaders of our industry began to 

meet with the leadership of the Corps and ultimately decided to 

put a team together to find a comprehensive solution to our problems. And the team, composed of experts within the Corps and 

leaders from the inland waterway industry, spent nearly a year 

and a half doing so. 
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I have here a copy of the team’s final report which on April 13th 

was unanimously adopted by the Inland Waterways Users Board 

and transmitted to the Administration and to Congress. It lays out 

a comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by our inland waterway system. 

We recommend a set of improvements to the project delivery system, some of which are already being implemented by the Corps, 

that will get our projects built on time and on budget. We developed a realistic budget for new construction and major rehabilitation. At $380 million a year, we think it is in line with the funding 

levels of recent years. 

We apply that budget to a dynamic 20-year construction plan 

that objectively prioritizes the projects. We focus on allocating 

money each year to only those projects that can be efficiently funded with the funds that are available. And that means that some 

vital projects may have to wait a few years to get started, but importantly they will be finished earlier under this plan than if we 

maintain the status quo. 

And I think that is very critical. If the projects do not get the 

money they need when they need it, then we cannot accomplish all 

that we have to do. And that means that we are going to have to 

find some mechanism to smooth out some of the vagaries of the annual appropriations process. 

This is going to require an increased level of investment, and so 

we propose a 30 to 45 percent increase in the current fuel tax that 

our industry pays. We also propose adjustment of elements of the 

cost sharing formula to reflect the multiple beneficiaries of the system, and to stop placing an undue share of the burden of rebuilding it on just one group of users. We are willing to accept this level 

of tax increase if it is part of the comprehensive plan to ensure future reliability of the system. 

The benefits: We should finish 25 projects in the next 20 years 

as opposed to six if we maintain the status quo. We will avoid between $350 million and almost $1.2 billion of project cost growth, 

and we should recognize at least $2.8 billion in benefits from these 

projects that would be foregone if their completion dates were delayed. 

Over 200 companies—— 

Senator BOXER. I am going to ask you to summarize because you 

are out of time, and we are so under the clock here. 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Absolutely. We hope the Committee will join 200 

entities who have already approved this plan and approve legislative language this year to make this a reality. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Woodruff follows:] 
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Senator BOXER. Well, that summed it up beautifully for me. 

[Laugher.] 

Senator BOXER. Our next witness is a source of pride and joy for 

me as well. Mitch White is the General Counsel of the Southern 

California Office of the Manson Construction Company located in 

Long Beach, California. Today, he is representing the Associated 

General Contractors of America, known as AGC. 

And I want to thank them for all the help they gave us, along 

with the Chamber and the unions and so many others, in moving 

our Highway Bill and getting it extended to the end of the year. 

I want to say thank you, again, for that. 

So, you were the immediate Past Chair of AGC’s Federal and 

Heavy Construction Divisions, and we are looking forward to your 

testimony. 

STATEMENT OF MITCH WHITE, GENERAL COUNSEL, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OFFICE, MANSON CONSTRUCTION CO.; IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR, ASSOCIATION OF GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA, FEDERAL AND HEAVY CONSTRUCTION DIVISION 

Mr. WHITE. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, Ranking Member 

Inhofe and distinguished members of this Committee, for inviting 

me to participate in today’s important hearing on how passing a 

Water Resources Development Act in 2010 will provide a path to 

job creation and lead our economy down to the road to recovery. 

On behalf of AGC, I urge this Committee to swiftly act on passage of a new Water Resources Development Act as a means of providing a legislative vehicle which, when coupled with significant 

funding, will substantially boost construction jobs and improve our 

diminished national infrastructure. 

While the Nation suffers, continues to suffer, through a recession, the construction industry is experiencing depression-like conditions. Nationally, only 11 out of 337 metropolitan areas added 

construction jobs between March 2009 and 2010. Over that same 

period, 48 States and the District of Columbia lost construction 

jobs. 

The current unemployment rate in the construction trades is 25 

percent. Infrastructure investment will dramatically improve this 

unemployment rate. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University estimates that for every $1 billion invested in infrastructure projects 

you would create over 28,500 new direct and indirect jobs. Each $1 

billion invested would add about $3.4 billion to the gross domestic 

product. 

There is no question that numerous other benefits would be provided by a WRDA. Previous investment in flood damage reduction 

projects has prevented an estimated $706 billion in flood damage, 

an 8 to 1 return on the Federal Government’s investment. Operations and maintenance work provides an average return of $14.10 

for every $1 invested. In the Mississippi Valley and tributary system, more than $24 in damages is saved for every $1 spent. 

Water resources infrastructure is a key to recovery. Our Nation’s 

waterways infrastructure has construction, operations and maintenance needs that a new WRDA would facilitate. In addition to job 

creation, water resources projects, if authorized and funded, would 
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provide other benefits resulting in substantially reducing the backlog of critical maintenance and repairs at approximately 360 multiple purpose flood control, hydropower, recreation, water supply 

and navigation projects, the repair of several high risks dams, the 

upgrade of hydropower plants to achieve an industry standard of 

98 percent availability, fully dredging to authorized depth the Nation’s 296 highest use deep draft commercial ports, fully dredging 

our inland waterways to authorized depth and width, and realization of critical coastal population protection projects. 

The Nation’s marine transportation system contributes 30 percent to the gross domestic product. Failure to maintain channels in 

waterways creates a drag on the economy and may slow economic 

growth. Additional investment in our Nation’s waterways would be 

used to improve channel availability of our coastal ports from 32 

to 95 percent and would improve inland waterway lock and channel 

reliability and availability by reducing lock closures due to mechanical failures from 27,000 to 10,000 hours per year. 

Finally, investment in this sector will greatly expedite the construction of critical environmental projects and return critical ecosystems to a more natural state. 

Before concluding, I want to speak to the Harbor Maintenance 

Trust Fund and how using those funds for their intended purpose 

will create additional jobs and economic opportunities. 

The current state of the Nation’s harbors and navigation channels, getting narrower and shallower each year, requires a substantial increase in spending on harbor maintenance. Accordingly, we 

remain concerned about the current balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. As of September 30, 2009, the balance in the 

HMTF was $5.1 billion, an increase of $461 million, or 10 percent, 

over the fiscal year 2008 year-end balance, even after all fund 

transfers to the Corps of Engineers and other authorized users. 

This balance has grown by $3.2 billion, or by 173 percent, since 

the end of 2002. Revenues have substantially exceeded appropriations for a number of years despite the demonstrated need for harbor maintenance. 

As Congress considers additional opportunities to invest in water 

resources spending to stimulate the economy, the surplus in the 

HMTF should not be overlooked as an immediate source of revenue 

to fund these critical projects. Furthermore, as Congress looks toward a long-term investment, AGC strongly recommends enactment of legislation setting the appropriations from the HMTF each 

year equal to projected revenues to be collected in the HMTF for 

that year. 

Madam Chairman, we at Manson Construction and members of 

the AGC are ready to build these projects so we can create and sustain jobs throughout the country. Construction has always been an 

engine of economic stimulus and can play that role once again. 

Increases in infrastructure investment can be quickly put to 

work and will have a direct, immediate and dramatic impact on the 

economy. The long-term economic benefits of infrastructure investment today should not be overlooked. Through additional investment in infrastructure, our Nation would be well positioned to 

emerge from the economic downturn, rebuild a world class infra-
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structure system and ensure our continued economic prosperity 

well into the future. 

Thank you for this opportunity to comment. I look forward to 

working with the Committee and would be happy to answer any 

questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. White follows:] 
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Senator BOXER. Thank you so much. Thanks to the whole panel. 

So, I am going to give my question time over to Tom Udall, and 

Senator, you can use it any way, for an opening statement or questions. You have 5 minutes. 

Senator UDALL. OK. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. 

Just by way of an opening, I think this panel has really demonstrated dramatically how WRDA and other recovery projects we 

put into place over the last year or so, they are very successful at 

creating jobs. I think each of you has outlined that, and I do not 

think there is any doubt about it. 

One of the things I wanted to mention, by way, I guess, of an 

opening, is that in New Mexico, many of our communities are 

threatened by snow melt and major storms and arroyos. And so 

what we have done, for example, in the city of Albuquerque, to protect the city from flooding, is build a series and a system of levees 

back in the 1940s and 1950s. And we are getting to the point now 

where we need a reauthorization under WRDA to do a major rehabilitation of those levees which, I think, once again would drive 

home the point that there are jobs in this. 

Mr. Woodruff, what I would like to ask you about, you know, you 

really drove a point with regard to the energy efficiency, and you 

talked about a gallon of fuel and how much further a gallon of fuel 

could go from truck to rail to barge. Do you have any suggestions? 

And to me that shows that we have very, very good energy efficiencies that we could capitalize on if we developed our policy that 

way. 

And I am wondering, do you have any recommendations for this 

Committee on how to encourage those efficiencies, where they are 

possible, from a policy side or from a legislative side? How we can 

make sure that when we do the transport, whether it is people or 

goods, that we do it in the very, very most efficient way? 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Our belief is that the way that you promote better modal efficiencies is through incentives to the shippers, as opposed to incentives to the carriers. We believe that our industry, 

the barge industry, the shipping industry, we have the equipment 

and we will build the equipment needed to move that cargo if the 

cargo comes to us for transport. 

And I think there are a variety of things that can be done. Certainly, barge transportation will never replace truck or rail transportation. I like to tell people I have never seen a barge dock behind a grocery store. There are those things for which each mode 

is essential. But to the extent we can choose the best mode for a 

particular cargo and ensure that we are using the most efficient 

mode, then we should do so. 

One thing that barges offer is a great deal of capacity. Our inland waterways have vast untapped capacity, whereas our other 

modes are very near their capacity. So that is another incentive to 

bring cargo to the waterways from other modes that may not be 

able to as efficiently handle them. 

Senator UDALL. So, how do we tap that vast, that capacity that 

is out there that you are talking about? I mean, what are your 

ideas for that? 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Well, we have the equipment ready for the cargo 

today. We can move intermodal cargos, shipping containers, we can 
71 

move bulk commodities. We have the ability to do it. We are, many 

companies in the industry, prepared to do it. I think it is finding 

a way to give the shippers the economic advantage to realize the 

benefits that we have to offer them. 

Certainly, there are some connector issues. Every time you move 

from one mode to the other, there are expenses that are associated 

with that. It is just a matter of reallocating, I guess, the economic 

incentives so that it makes it economically advantageous to take 

the most efficient route. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you very much. And I am going to yield 

back a little of the time so that everybody can get some questioning 

in before the vote here. Thank you. 

Senator BOXER. Thank you. The Ranking Member would like to 

be recognized. 

Senator INHOFE. Yes. Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. 

First of all, well, let me just mention that this is really kind of 

an Oklahoma hearing. I look out here, and I see Julie Daniels, I 

have worked with her on projects up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 

Matt Myers, Shane Frye, Wendy Taylor, Kirby Crowe, Karen 

Keith. Karen Keith’s a good liberal Democrat like you, Madam 

Chairman, and I want you to know—— 

Senator BOXER. Good for you, Karen. 

[Laugher.] 

Senator INHOFE. You would be surprised how well we get along. 

And I am pretty extreme on the right, and she is pretty extreme 

on the left—— 

Senator BOXER. Speak for yourself. I am not extreme. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator INHOFE. But we all agree—— 

Senator BOXER. Just ask Bernie Sanders. He does not think I am 

extreme at all. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator INHOFE. You are going to have to give me more time if 

we are going to talk about Bernie. 

Senator BOXER. You have an extra minute. Any time. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator INHOFE. OK. My point is this. We can all agree that Government has functions to perform. And this WRDA bill, Water Resources Development Act, as well as what we are trying desperately to get, and I talked to this group yesterday about reauthorization of the transportation, it is something we need to be 

done. 

These are authorization bills. And those people out there that 

call them earmarks, I am the only one up here who can really address this in a convincing way because the reason I am late is because I had to go over there and get my award for being Number 

One, the 100 percent, by the American Conservative Union, right 

before I came here. Last month, the National Journal had me 

ranked as the most conservative member of the U.S. Senate. 

Now, I say that because I am a very strong believer that our system will work if people will get serious about it, and we go through 

authorization. When we go through authorization, we qualify these 

things. When we sat down and did the 2005 reauthorization bill for 
72 

transportation, we had criteria. Everything had to meet these criteria. Then we made allocations out to States. 

This is the way it is supposed to happen. And people who talk 

about earmarks, it is the phoniest issue out there. Because the very 

individuals who complain about earmarks are the ones who vote for 

the very largest, multi-hundred billion dollar bills, then they hold 

up this earmark thing to make people think they are conservative. 

Let me be specific. One of the votes that bothered me, I hate to 

say this in front of my friends who voted for it, was the $700 billion 

bailout. That was October 1, 2008. Then we had the $300 billion 

bailout, we had the $50 billion, the PEPFAR Bill, to increase the 

amount of money going to communicable diseases in foreign countries. They vote for all of these things, and then they turn around 

and complain about the things that we are doing here today. 

Now, the bottom line is this. We have needs that are out there. 

We have, in my State of Oklahoma, things that need to be done, 

things that are the legitimate function of Government to do. This 

WRDA bill is to make sure that we do not put out things that are 

not deserving of public funding and that they go through the process. So, I had to say that because I know that there are so many 

people who exploit this notion of earmarks, and it is something 

that has got to be exposed sooner than later. So, this is sooner. 

Let me ask you, Mr. Woodruff, I had an opening statement and 

I was going to talk about, a little bit about, what I just now said 

but in a little nicer way. But that took too long. Also, I was going 

to mention that not many people realize that my State of Oklahoma is really a navigable State. We have a waterway that comes 

all the way from—I am sure you are aware of this, Senator Alexander—it comes all the way up the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers, and we are moving goods in and out, and it is a great thing. 

I would like to ask Mr. Woodruff, you are familiar with what we 

do. I would like to have you, kind of from your perspective, describe 

how this great event, I am particularly biased to this waterway because my father-in-law, many years ago, along with McClellan and 

Kerr, had a lot to do with building this thing. How has this contributed, and is still contributing today, to the economy of Oklahoma 

and surrounding States? 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Well, in immeasurable ways. We talked about 

agricultural exports, fertilizer coming in, agricultural products 

going out. There are oil products, petroleum products that come 

into the Port of Catoosa, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, that otherwise 

would be on trains or trucks, causing congestion on our highways. 

But in terms of jobs there, I am thinking of a facility right there 

in Catoosa that builds huge heat exchangers that are used 

throughout the world in industrial facilities. And if it were not for 

the waterway there, I do not think those products could ever leave 

their factory and go to those markets. 

So, for those cargos that are just too big to go by other modes, 

that allows jobs to be created and maintained, good high paying 

manufacturing jobs, right there in Catoosa, serving the world. 

Senator INHOFE. Well, you see, that is the point that I am making. In the things that we do, and I would say some of the same 

things about some of the EDA programs, but since our time is 
73 

short, I am sure the Chairman has told you that we have a vote 

coming up—— 

Senator BOXER. It has already started. 

Senator INHOFE. It has already started? 

Senator BOXER. Yes. 

Senator INHOFE. Anyway, let me just ask our friend from the 

Chamber of Commerce, I made some pretty strong statements concerning this fraud called earmarks. Do you have any thoughts 

about this? Because generally the Chamber, these are conservative 

people, free enterprising people, and how do you see this in terms 

of the role of conservative government serving America? 

Ms. KAVINOKY. Well, certainly when it comes to a WRDA bill, 

and particularly this has always been a project-based bill, it has 

been a way to designate things that are important to the Nation 

and to the economy. I think we differentiate between earmarks 

which are for the items that people say, ah, this would a great idea 

to do, this is what I need in order to vote for a bill, and things that 

really look at what is important to the economic elements of the 

Nation. That is why in our work that we are doing on SAFETEALU reauthorization and on this, we are focused on how do you get 

the biggest bang for the buck out of every project? 

Senator INHOFE. Alright. Would you agree with this? If we, if we 

would redefine earmark as an appropriation that has not been authorized, I am with everybody on this, would you agree with me? 

Ms. KAVINOKY. Absolutely. 

Senator INHOFE. There is the solution to the problem, Madam 

Chairman. 

Senator BOXER. Well, I agree. Fully. 

Senator INHOFE. Sure you do. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Inhofe follows:] 

STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES M. INHOFE, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

Thank you, Madam Chairman, for holding this hearing, and thank you to all the 

witnesses for joining us this morning. Before I get into my statement, I just want 

to say that I support the Chair’s intent to move a Water Resources Development 

Act, or WRDA, this year. Regularly enacted WRDA bills provide the best opportunities to address our Nation’s water resources infrastructure needs. 

The purpose of today’s hearing is to discuss the job creation and economic development benefits associated with the kinds of water resources projects and policies typically authorized in a WRDA and carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers. 

It took 7 years to enact the last WRDA (WRDA 2007), with detractors making two 

main arguments. First, there were complaints that Corps projects are a waste of 

taxpayer dollars. I couldn’t disagree more. 

This year I again was ranked by National Journal as the most conservative Senator, and I certainly take fiscal responsibility seriously. I firmly believe, however, 

that the two things the Federal Government should invest in are national defense 

and public infrastructure. Investments in infrastructure—including water resources 

infrastructure such as navigation channels, ports, flood control and hurricane protection measures—not only have short-term job creation benefits, but more importantly they help bring about long-term economic development opportunities. This 

dual benefit is one reason I tried to get a greater percentage of the stimulus dollars 

directed to infrastructure. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. 

Our witnesses today will discuss the economic contributions these infrastructure 

projects make from the national perspective, but I’d like to take a moment to talk 

about my home State of Oklahoma. Many people think of Oklahoma as completely 

landlocked, but we actually have a very successful port in Tulsa called the Port of 

Catoosa. It is a combined port, industrial park and multi-modal shipping complex, 

currently with more than 60 companies employing nearly 3,000 employees. 
74 

The port lies at the head of navigation for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River 

Navigation System, which stretches 445 miles to the Mississippi River. More than 

11.6 million tons were shipped on the McClellan-Kerr in 2009, with about 18 percent of that total going through the Port of Catoosa. Prior to the economic downturn, 

the system often carried closer to 13 million tons in an average year. This cargo 

typically consists of sand and rock, fertilizer, wheat, raw steel, and refined petroleum products. 

The navigation system, as well as other Corps facilities elsewhere in Oklahoma, 

also contributes economically by providing flood protection, clean and affordable hydroelectric power, and recreation opportunities for local communities. None of this 

economic activity would have been realized if the Federal Government, through the 

Corps of Engineers, hadn’t decided in 1946 to invest in this waterway. 

The second main argument against WRDA 2007 was that it contained earmarks 

and therefore was simply full of ‘‘pork projects.’’ Again, I must disagree with the 

reasoning of some of my colleagues. 

Yes, WRDA includes authorizations and modifications of specific projects. But 

these so-called ‘‘earmarks’’ are the first step in the well established authorization 

and appropriations process. One of the best checks on out-of-control spending is limiting funding to only those projects and programs that have been authorized properly. In fact, I have objected many times to unauthorized items being funded in appropriations bills as well as to authorization language being included in appropriations bills. 

The authorization process, and EPW as an authorizing Committee, provides the 

first congressional review of projects and programs to ensure that only legitimate 

needs that have a Federal interest are eligible for funding consideration. One question EPW has traditionally asked when considering WRDA requests is, ‘‘Does the 

project have a Chief’s Report?’’ The Corps issues Chief’s Reports for only those 

projects shown to have national benefits in excess of project costs. Once projects are 

authorized, it is then up to the appropriations process to determine priorities for 

funding. 

For these reasons and others, I am a strong supporter of investment in infrastructure and of the importance of working on a WRDA. I am pleased to have the Committee turn to this bipartisan issue that can have significant economic benefits, and 

I look forward to hearing the testimony from our witnesses. 

Senator BOXER. Senator Alexander, I just want you to know that 

I have been following the flooding in your State, and my heart goes 

out to you. I know the suffering that is going on. And this bill is 

directly related to these kinds of things. So, we would like to close 

our hearing with you. 

Senator ALEXANDER. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you 

for your comments both here and yesterday when we talked about 

it. And I am glad you and Senator Inhofe are here because I had 

something I wanted to say about the Nashville flooding. 

This is a thousand-year rain event. When they told me that was 

NOAA’s estimate I thought they were talking about Noah’s ark. 

But it had not rained like this in a thousand years. We had 25 

inches in 2 days, which is twice as much rain as many western 

States get. And this is the time, the Mayor of Nashville estimates 

that this is just one of 52 counties that may be affected. He estimates that there may be $1 billion of damage just in the Nashville 

area alone. So, this is a time for cleaning up and helping people. 

But it is also a time for asking the question, what could we do 

better? And I wanted to just suggest to the Chair and to the Ranking Member that one of the things that we might be able to do better in the event of a disaster like this is to have clear and correct 

and consistent information from the Corps of Engineers about the 

release of water from the Old Hickory and Percy Priest Dams in 

our case. 

It is too early to say whether it was unclear or incorrect or inconsistent, and this is not the time to be talking about it. But as we 

work on this bill, or perhaps even in a hearing, we could address 
75 

the question of whether clear, consistent and correct information 

from the Army Corps of Engineers to the community might have 

saved millions of dollars in records, in homes, and in lives even, because people had better information about the rise of the flood waters on the Cumberland River. 

So, this was a problem after Katrina. I know Senator Landrieu 

talked about it. And in an orderly and appropriate way, at the 

right time, I would like to address this question of making sure 

that individuals and businesses have the opportunity to get the 

clearest, most consistent, correct information about rising water. 

Senator BOXER. I think it is very important, and we will talk to 

you about how we can best facilitate that. 

Senator ALEXANDER. I thank the Chair. 

And then the other thing I wanted to say, I appreciate Senator 

Inhofe’s comments, too, on earmarks. I mean, people come to see 

me about whether the dams in middle Tennessee are safe or we 

need housing for the most deployed troops in America at Fort 

Campbell. My job is not to give them President Obama’s telephone 

number. But that is another suggestion. 

I wanted to say a word about Mr. Woodruff’s recommendation, 

the Chickamauga Lock, as an example. We have a lock in Chattanooga called the Chickamauga Lock. It was built in 1940. It will 

probably close in 2018 if it is not replaced. And work has already 

begun, but it stopped because there is not enough money. There is 

some Federal money appropriated but there is not enough money 

from the Inland Waterway Trust Fund to finish the lock. 

If it were to close, that is 2.5 million tons of cargo. The new lock 

will hold 6.7 million tons of cargo annually. It will take 100,000 

tractor trailers off the road. This is a lock that is a major transportation artery for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for the Nuclear Weapons National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, and for 

the Tennessee Valley Authority. So, this is tremendously important 

to our region. 

I want to ask you, Mr. Woodruff, in the remaining minute and 

a half, if there is anything extra that you would like to say about 

the recommendations of your report on changing the business practices of the Corps of Engineers and what might happen if your report were not implemented. I strongly support your report, and I 

hope this Committee will adopt it. 

Mr. WOODRUFF. Well, just to address the Chickamauga concern, 

if we maintain the status quo I cannot tell you when there would 

be money to finish the Chickamauga project. If this plan is adopted, it could be finished by 2015. That is an example of the dramatic 

types of improvement that we can obtain by focusing on finishing 

projects, being more efficient in the way that we build and construct projects. 

Twenty-five projects finished instead of six. That is what we are 

looking at over a 20-year period by some relatively simple steps to 

get better estimates when we go into projects, to have more efficient funding streams, to give the contractors the money they need 

to do what they want to do, which is build these projects efficiently 

so they can move on to the next one. Those are the things that we 

can do to achieve the success that we have to have. 
76 

Senator ALEXANDER. Well, your recommendation has my full support, of course, because it would help with the Chickamauga Lock, 

which would be unimaginable that we would have to close it, both 

because it would be a better use of taxpayers’ dollars generally and 

because it would help create jobs in our country. 

I thank the Chair for the time. 

Senator BOXER. I am going to turn this hearing over to Senator 

Inhofe. He is so excited to have so many of his constituents here. 

Senator INHOFE. Well, let me just mention, before she goes out 

the door, Karen, just come back here, I want you to just meet Barbara before you leave. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator BOXER. Just come around that way. This way, and up 

the steps and back there. 

Senator INHOFE. Yes, yes. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator BOXER. But I made Senator Inhofe promise that he 

would not characterize his view of my politics—— 

[Laughter.] 

Senator BOXER. And he said he would not. You know, if it is 

mainstream Democrat, that is what I am. But he said he will not 

go there. He is just going to behave and do good—— 

Senator INHOFE. I will make this really brief, and in fact, while 

you are still here, Madam Chairman. I only wanted to say, and 

first of all, on these things, as I told all of you who are here, they 

are here because this is the Chamber in Oklahoma and I invited 

them to come by today, and they are very interested. Each one who 

is here is interested in something that we are doing with the 

WRDA bill potentially, for one, so that is why we do get along. 

The only last thing I wanted to say in terms of the earmark argument is the importance of authorization. Authorize, then appropriate. But if you appropriate without authorizing, that is where 

you get in trouble. That is where thing that do not deserve to get 

funded get funded. And people have got to learn that. 

The other example I was going to use is my other Committee, 

which is the Senate Armed Services Committee. Just to give you 

an example. We have experts that will evaluate our platforms, our 

ability to defend America, such as National Missile Defense Systems, how we want redundancy in all three, in the boost phase, 

midcourse phase and terminal phase, and if you do not do that, 

then you are going to depend on the President coming through and 

saying, well, we are not going to have that, we do not need a boost 

phase because we have got something, that is the role that authorizers do. We have experts that make these decisions. 

Any of these earmarks that they talk about, if you kill an earmark on the floor of the Senate, it does not save one cent. That 

money goes right back to the Administration. And if you think 

that, well, anyway, we do a good job. The authorization process is 

a good process. That is what we are doing here today, and I commend you on holding this hearing. 

Senator BOXER. Well, Senator, I think it is so great that we can 

work together on these infrastructure programs because you and I 

just agree completely. And I just wanted to point out, when we 

worked on the last WRDA, we had an uphill climb because we had 
77 

a presidential veto. And we teamed up. And I checked with my 

staff and—— 

Senator INHOFE. A Republican veto, it was. 

Senator BOXER. Yes, I know. But—— 

Senator INHOFE. Well, I am just making an observation here. 

Senator BOXER. That is right, and it was harder for you, really. 

And I was so grateful. But we did it. And I checked back. In the 

history of the Nation, there have only been 110 successful veto 

overrides. That is it, from the beginning of the country. And we 

were involved in that one. 

And I just think it speaks to what we need to do, and again, 

whether it is moving people, moving cargo, all the things that you 

were all so eloquent about, whether we are the Chamber of Commerce representing business, the labor unions represented here in 

many ways by Victor, the general contractors, a very large and successful company, this is a place where we can cut through the partisanship, we can come together, and Senator Inhofe and I are 

bound and determined to get this done. 

We thank you all. This has been a brief hearing, but you said 

it right—— 

Senator INHOFE. Let me remind you also that there was a veto 

threat on the Transportation Reauthorization Bill, and I think the 

fact that I made it very clear that the Republicans, that some of 

us were going to be fighting that just like we did in WRDA, and 

I think that is probably the reason there was not one. 

Senator BOXER. That is probably true. 

Thank you, we stand adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 10:15 a.m. the Committee was adjourned.] 

[An additional statement submitted for the record follows:] 

STATEMENT OF HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND

Madam Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today on another excellent 

jobs bill that our Committee will be taking up in the near future. 

I’m glad that we are focusing on the job creation and economic opportunities 

Water Resources Development projects create for the country. Just like improving 

our transportation or telecommunications infrastructure, 

• keeping shipping channels open, 

• protecting and restoring coastal ecology, and 

• repairing dams 

have considerable impacts on both local economies and the national economy. 

Examples of WRDA’s economic impacts from both the local and national scale are 

found across Maryland. 

Maryland has a geography and topography which makes the Chesapeake Bay particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of erosion. This erosion contributes to 

5 million cubic yards of sediment deposited annually into the Bay, adversely affecting water quality, destroying valuable wetlands and habitat, and clogging navigation channels. 

Every year the Corps clears tons of eroded sediment from the Federal navigation 

channels that lead into and out of the Port of Baltimore. Keeping this port open and 

the channels dredged is essential not just for Maryland, but for the Nation. 

The Port of Baltimore is an enormous economic engine for Maryland with national 

significance. There are 126 miles of shipping channels leading to the Port of Baltimore. In 2008 approximately 47.5 million tons of cargo, including 33 million tons 

of foreign cargo valued at $45.3 billion, and approximately 14.5 million tons of domestic waterborne cargo moved through the Port of Baltimore. 

Among the 360 U.S. ports, Baltimore is ranked No. 1 for handling: 

• trucks, 

• roll on/roll off cargo (i.e. automobiles, trucking trailers, and freight cars) and is 

the country’s second largest automobile exporter, 
78 

• imported forest products, and 

• gypsum, sugar and iron ore 

and is nationally ranked 12th in total value of foreign cargo handled. 

The Maryland Port Administration estimates that the Port generates 50,700 jobs 

in Maryland with $3.7 billion in wages and salaries. Additionally, there are approximately 68,300 related and indirect jobs associated with Port activities. 

At the local level, Maryland puts the Bay’s dredge material to good use on coastal 

habitat, beach and island restoration projects. 

Along our Atlantic coast, powerful winter storms and tropical cyclones can cause 

considerable beach erosion—threatening the economic vitality of our premier Atlantic coast resort city, Ocean City. This past November and December, Ocean City, 

Assateague National Seashore and other Mid-Atlantic coastal communities were 

pummeled by Nor’easter Ida. 

Since 1990 the Corps has supported an Atlantic coast protection program that involves replenishing the natural beaches that border Ocean City, Maryland. This 

coastal protection program has worked exceptionally well. 

The years of work on coastal wetland and beach restoration projects are what 

saved many of the homes and businesses on the lower shore. The Corps estimates 

that over $238 million in damages were prevented due to periodic beach renourishment projects. And those savings do not include the damages that were avoided last 

winter—we are still awaiting those final numbers. 

The Chesapeake Bay is the Nation’s largest estuary. The Corps’ oyster and habitat restoration, shoreline protection, and sediment management programs are integral to Bay restoration efforts. 

Oysters represent more than just a source of income for Maryland’s watermen— 

they are natural biological filters, continually cleaning up the Bay. 

Last summer I was proud to join the Corps’ top military leader, Major General 

Robert L. Van Antwerp, as we viewed the Poplar Island restoration project and the 

site of the proposed Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project. 

Poplar Island has risen, phoenix-like, out of the Chesapeake Bay. Formerly eroded 

into a few tiny fragments, the Corps has used the dredge materials from the Baltimore navigation channels to rebuild this extraordinary island habitat. 

The Mid-Bay restoration effort will serve as a successor to Poplar Island. Mid-Bay 

will restore two major islands, James and Barren Islands, in the Chesapeake Bay. 

It will result in the restoration of more than 2,100 acres of coastal ecosystem restoration. 

The reconstruction of the islands in Dorchester County will help provide much 

needed island habitat to support the local ecosystems while also providing substantial relief from further erosion on the mainland. 

There are numerous other projects that I could cite. Each in its own way helps 

create and sustain jobs. And when these projects are done right, they support both 

domestic and international commerce as well as our environmental needs. 

I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses and working with my colleagues 

on the latest reauthorization of WRDA. 

[Additional material submitted for the record follows:] 
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