Ruppersberger Issues Statement on Passage of Bill Greenlighting Critical Port, Harbor Projects

(Timonium, MD) — The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed bipartisan legislation that authorizes funding for our nation’s ports, harbors and waterways, including the Port of Baltimore. The “Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act” passed in a 360-61 vote and is now under consideration by the U.S. Senate. Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger issued the following statement:

“I applaud yesterday’s passage of bipartisan legislation, which includes investments that are absolutely critical to keeping the Port of Baltimore competitive and protecting the 122,000 jobs it supports. This bill makes it easier to deepen port berths – allowing some of the largest container ships in the world to call on the Port of Baltimore – and increases funding for fish and wildlife habitat projects in the Chesapeake Bay from $60 million to $100 million. These provisions will support a local effort to use dredged material to restore Chesapeake Bay islands.

I am also pleased that the bill will continue to prevent raids of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to offset other federal spending. This funding belongs with our ports and our ports alone.
I am also happy to see that Congress is getting back into the habit of passing 2-year authorizations. This helps both our public and private-sector partners in long-term planning, which means projects stand a better chance at coming in on-time and under-budget.

This is ultimately a jobs bill and I hope that we can continue working together on common sense investments in infrastructure to get Americans back to work. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly follow suit and send this bill to the President’s desk.”