Appropriators Slam Corps Budget Request
Washington, D.C.—Republican and Democratic leaders of a key House panel once again objected to the Biden administration’s proposed cut for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
“The request for the Corps totals $7.2 billion, 17 percent below the enacted level,” Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, said during a budget hearing.
Fleischmann pointed out the largest cuts were proposed for the Mississippi River and Tributaries and Operation and Maintenance accounts.
He also cited the nearly 38 percent reduction proposed for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund activities.
“The request fails to take advantage of the tools Congress provided to promote robust investment in our nation’s ports and harbors, falling nearly $1.4 billion short of the maximum offset allowed by law,” Fleischmann said.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), the subcommittee’s ranking member, joined the chairman in expressing disappointment over the proposed reduction.
“We have significant work to do to better protect Americans against severe drought, flooding and storms and restore the physical infrastructure that sustain life in communities large and small across our nation,” Kaptur said.
Still, the proposed budget cuts did not monopolize the exchanges between the appropriators and the witnesses, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor and Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the Corps.
With the ink barely dry on the delayed spending bills for the current fiscal year, odds do not look good on getting those for fiscal year 2025 passed by Congress before the November elections.
FHA Port Grants
The Federal Highway Administration announced $148 million in grants to 11 states and Puerto Rico to reduce pollution for port workers, truck drivers and families living in communities near ports.
Those grants make up the first round of the new $400 million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Program created to address idling trucks at ports, modernize infrastructure and strengthen supply chains.
Projects range from $642,258 to replace one diesel-powered street sweeper with one zero-emission unit to move vehicles at the Port of Baltimore to $34.8 million to replace 149 diesel- and gas-powered trucks and six shuttle buses with zero-emission technologies and install 155 charging units at the Long Beach Container Terminal in California.
Baltimore Milestone
Efforts to resume commercial maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore reached a significant milestone.
With the removal of a 560-ton section of structural steel on April 22, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that enough wreckage has been cleared from a 35-foot-deep Limited Access Channel to maintain the agency’s commitment to deliver it by the end of April.
The Corps added that step enables progress to continue toward fully reopening the 50-foot-deep Fort McHenry Federal Channel.
“In achieving this important milestone, we continue to signal our resolute commitment to the people of Baltimore and the nation that we will not rest until the Port of Baltimore returns to normal operations,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, the commanding general of the Corps.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) also reporting meeting with the National Economic Council and leaders from East Coast ports on mitigating supply chain disruptions and coordinating the response to the suspension of vessel traffic at the Port of Baltimore after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
According to the readout of the meeting, DOT shared that the reopening of the port remained on schedule with all vessels able to access the port by the end of May.
Cyber Trends And Insights
Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) announced the release of the second annual Cyber Trends and Insights in the Marine Environment (CTIME) report that provides Coast Guard units and port partners with relevant information to address cyber risks.
“As U.S. Coast Guard missions expand into the cyberspace domain and across the global maritime commons, CGCYBER remains strategically postured to protect maritime critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threat actors,” said Rear Adm. Jay Vann, commander of Coast Guard Cyber Command.
Key takeaways from the report: ransomware attacks and advanced persistent threats continue to target the maritime environment, and timely information sharing is among the most effective ways to increase defenses against adversaries.
