Caption: Sen. Ted Cruz with port leadership and stakeholders.

Sen. Ted Cruz voiced strong support for the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Project, after being briefed in early October by Port Houston leadership and top executives representing industry along the channel. Sen. Cruz said the widening and deepening project is important to Texas and the nation and lauded the leadership of Port Houston and the business community for their willingness to work together to get the project completed in an expedited manner.

He called the Port of Houston “the crown jewel of the Texas economy,” and said expansion of the
channel will trigger the creation of even more jobs. The project has been the focus of a four-year
study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Port Houston that is expected to be
finished next spring. Once the study is completed, Congress will consider authorizing the project in the
Water Resources Development Act legislation in 2020. At the same time, Port Houston and industry
stakeholders are working together to garner support for the project’s authorization by Congress as
well as collaborating on possible funding and other strategies to accelerate the project.

During the meeting, Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo provided an overview of the project for
Sen. Cruz. Industry representatives joined the port in advocating for the importance of the expansion
project.

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U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, who presides over Texas’ 7th Congressional District, toured Port Houston April 23 with her staff, where they received a briefing on the Houston Ship Channel and the national economic importance of making waterway improvements.

The tour was especially timely for Fletcher, since she currently serves as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and co-chairs a task force on trade.

As part of Fletcher’s visit, Port Chairman Ric Campo and Port Infrastructure Officer Rich Byrnes took her aboard a fireboat where she received a firsthand view of the busy Bayport Container Terminal. She was also able to see the activity along the channel involving the numerous petrochemical companies that operate along the waterway.

The backdrop of the tour highlighted the Port Authority’s impact on innovation, economic value and job creation. Additionally, she was able to gain insight about the waterway’s challenges and potential opportunities.

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Port Houston welcomed a group of Gabonese officials and a representative of Houston-based energy company, VAALCO Energy Group, for a discussion on the port’s infrastructure, growth and investments April 17. Notably in attendance was the deputy director of the Prime Minister of Gabon’s Cabinet.

Chief Legal Officer Erik Eriksson and Chief Information Technology Officer Charles Thompson provided welcome remarks; and Senior Trade Development Manager Will Whitehouse delivered a commercial presentation.

Group discussion covered maritime trade and development along the Houston Ship Channel including energy, containers and project cargoes. Port Houston staff also provided the guests with information on port’s background and history, public facilities and the Houston Ship Channel’s economic impact.

The delegation’s purpose for visiting Port Houston was to discuss trade, investment and development opportunities.

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Port Houston hosted a briefing for the City of Houston's Chief Resiliency Officer Stephen Costello June 29.  Port staff highlighted the impacts of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston Ship Channel and discussed the need for strategies to minimize the effects of future flood and rain events on the waterway.

Much of the floodwaters resulting from Harvey that devastated the region’s homes and businesses flowed into the Houston Ship Channel, depositing hundreds of millions of tons of sediment and debris. 

Port Houston worked closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers immediately after the storm to assess sedimentation impacts in the Houston Ship Channel and to mobilize available dredges to address the most critical areas as quickly as possible.

Port Houston is the local non-federal sponsor for the Houston Ship Channel and works with the Corps maintaining and growing the waterway.  Similarly, the Corps is responsible for many of the flood mitigation projects in the region.  Port officials and Costello discussed the critical nature of both understanding and planning how the flood mitigation system interacts with the Houston Ship Channel.

Port Chairman Janiece Longoria has discussed the impact of Hurricane Harvey at numerous public meetings and highlighted the importance of planning for weather-related incidents.

“We must also look at improvements to this waterway that make it more resilient and reduce the impacts of future weather events,” the chairman said during a recent meeting. “Part of the recovery is to harden this asset to make it better for the future.”

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U.S. Rep. Brian Babin and his staff took a waterside tour of the Port of Houston May 31, with Port Houston staffers providing a briefing for the Congressman along the way.

During the briefing, Port Houston staff highlighted the importance of the Houston Ship Channel. They focused on the need for improvements to accommodate two-way traffic and the larger vessels calling the port.

The ship channel is the busiest waterway in the nation in regard to vessel and barge transits.

Port Commissioner John D. Kennedy joined Babin and his staff on a port fireboat as they visited the Barbours Cut Container Terminal, noting that staff provided information on Port Houston and federal policy priorities.

Port Houston Director of Channel Development Mark Vincent provided an overview to the group on the channel and port’s latest infrastructure developments. 

A national asset, the greater Port of Houston generates $618 billion in U.S. economic activity annually.

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