The US Army Corps of Engineers this week allocated $10 million to the Calcasieu Ship Channel for dredging a crucial portion of the channel to its full width.
A portion of these additional funds will be combined with previously budgeted funds to dredge a key 3.5-mile stretch of channel--miles 7 to 10.5--to its full 400-foot width. The previous funding would have reduced the channel width there to only 250 feet--a narrowing that “would have extremely adverse economic consequences for channel users,” said Bill Rase, Executive Director of the Port of Lake Charles.
“I can’t understate the importance of keeping the channel open at full width,” Rase said. “Southwest Louisiana’s huge industrial complex relies on unrestricted passage through the ship channel. And the $58 billion in development projects announced for this area count on having a reliable channel to transport their goods--that’s why they’re coming here. A significant portion of the nation’s energy resources moves up and down this channel every day. We also have to consider the safety issues that would be posed by a narrowed channel.”
The $10 million allocation came from discretionary funds available to the Corps of Engineers in the FY14 Omnibus Budget Bill. It will be used for critical channel maintenance that includes dredging the 400-foot width of miles 7 to 10.5.