House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced that he has secured $1.5 million in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies subcommittee bill for deepening the Port Fourchon Belle Pass Channel, reports the Waterways Journal.
The funding would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete environmental compliance and update the overall cost and dredge material disposal plans so the construction phase of the project can begin.
Dredging the Port Fourchon Channel would reduce the transportation cost of servicing offshore energy development out of Port Fourchon, promote future energy development and production and allow for greater vessel access to Louisiana’s ports and waterways.
Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission (GLPC), says, “The federal funding in this appropriations bill … will enable the Corps to commence with the final design and construction phases of this project.
“Furthermore, inclusion in this bill of $6.186 million for yearly operations and maintenance dredging at the port will ensure that yearly maintenance needs and unexpected dredging actions from coastal storms will be adequately funded,” Chiasson adds. Read the full story.
