Port Houston Holds Special Port Commission Public Meeting
09 Agosto 2024 - 2:14PM
Business Wire
Provides Details on Proposed Houston Ship
Channel Project 11 User Fee
On Thursday, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston
Authority held a special public meeting to discuss the proposed
Houston Ship Channel Expansion - Project 11 user fee ordinance and
receive public comment. Port Houston is implementing a user fee
based on federal law to pay for the local share of costs for
Project 11. The purpose of the meeting was to provide further
updates and clarifications on the user fee ordinance and receive
public input.
“This ordinance represents the official language that will put
the user fee into effect and is the result of extensive
collaboration with private industry to create a transparent, fair,
and equitable user fee,” said Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo.
“The idea of implementing a user fee is based on a proposal
originally suggested by members of major industries along the
channel,” he shared.
The Houston Ship Channel is a cornerstone of the U.S. economy
delivering high-value exports and other goods and commerce to the
nation. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
ranked it the No. 1 busiest waterway in the nation, despite being
the narrowest channel at 530 feet (before the start of Project 11);
many major U.S. ports exceed 1,000 feet. Improvements to the
channel are vitally necessary to increase safety and reduce
congestion in the channel complex.
“The partially completed channel is already creating immediate
and tangible congestion benefits for all vessels by significantly
reducing daylight restrictions on subject vessels up to two hours
in each direction,” Chairman Campo shared. Project 11 will expand
the channel by 170 feet in some parts.
The fee is expected to go into effect later in 2025 and end when
all local costs have been recovered, which is an estimated 30
years. “The money collected through the user fee can and will only
be used for the reimbursement to Port Houston for the money spent
on Project 11,” Chairman Campo further highlighted.
The Port Commission and staff will consider all comments prior
to finalizing the ordinance. The Port Commission could approve the
ordinance as soon as the next Port Commission meeting, which is
scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 at 9:15 a.m. The proposed draft
ordinance can be accessed here.
About Port Houston
For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the
public wharves and facilities along the Houston Ship Channel,
including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most
efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the
advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship
Channel complex and its more than 200 private and eight public
facilities is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and
an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of
Texas and the U.S. The Port of Houston supports the creation of
nearly 1.5 million jobs in Texas and 3.37 million jobs nationwide,
and economic activity totaling $439 billion in Texas and $906
billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information,
visit the website at PortHouston.com.
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Lisa Ashley-Daniels, Director, Public Relations, Office:
713-670-2644; Mobile: 832-247-8179; E-mail:
lashley@porthouston.com