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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 06242003 - C.28 Contra Costa TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS County a• x ` ,r� ::rr��,r FROM: TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE '°. r`'8 Supervisor John Gioia DATE: June 24, 2003 SUBJECT: REPORT ON FEDERAL FY 2004 REQUESTS FOR SHIP CHANNEL DREDGING AND DISPOSAL PROJECTS SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION 1) AUTHORIZE Chair to sign letters thanking legislators for their joint letter of support to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on behalf of our projects, and for their continued active support of ship channel navigation projects within Contra Costa County and in the region. AUTHORIZE the letters to Congressman Miller and Congresswoman Tauscher to include compliments to their staff for all of their hard work on these projects. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact to the County from this action. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR x RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): S x �r John Gioia, Chair ACTION OF BOARD O Jwe Z4, 2M APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED x OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE x UNANIMOUS (ABSENT v } AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE **District III Seat VACANT** SHOWN. Contact: Roberta Goulart (925) 335-1226) ATTESTED jum 24, tow cc: Community Development Department (CDD) JOHN SWEETEN, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR 4 } B DEPUTY BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS On March 11, 2003 the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors sent letters to legislators requesting funding for three ship channel navigation projects in federal FY 2004 as follows; Suisun Bay Channel/New York Slough Maintenance Dredging - $5.172 million San Francisco-Stockton (Baldwin) Ship Channel Deepening - $1.1 million Pinole Shoal Maintenance Dredging - $4.520 milion Congressman Miller, Congresswoman Tauscher and their staff were instrumental in orchestrating the attached letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water signed by seven area representatives, supporting our projects (as well as an additional project sponsored by the Port of Sacramento). The TWI Committee recommends that Congressional Representatives Miller, Tauscher, Pombo, Ose, Thompson, Pelosi, and Lee, the letter's signatories, be thanked for the joint letter, and for their continuing support. A draft letter is attached. 2 VY/ iV! }vVV VUVT. 1i1i1 YVY}LVVvvV awrC +vva Ltw aK A....iva ,_. - -� wrigriess of tilt Init eb Otates tc, + 20515 March 28,2003 Hort. David Hobson Hon. Peter 1. Visclosky Chairman Ranking Member Subcommittee on Energy and Water Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Development 2362 Rayburn HOB 1016 Longworth House Office Building Washington,DC 20515 Washington,DC 20515 Dear Chairman Hobson and Rang Member Visclosky: We appreciate the support your subcommittee has provided to constituents in our districts over the years. As you are aware, our districts are part of the San Francisco Bay to Stockton energy transportation corridor which host frequent oil tanker traffic. The four requests we are supporting would fund necessary maintenance dredging for part of the channel and develop a ship turning basin to improve the overall safety oftanker traffic through this narrow and congested transport corridor. Your committee generously provided funding for three(four?) of these requests last year. Your assistance in funding these priorities enhances our economy by improving the movement of goods through the region and protects our fragile ccas'line from oil spills caused by ship groundings.Jointly we are requesting the following- • Suisun Bay ChanneYNew York Slough Dredg n& $5.172 Million • San Pablo Bay/Pinole Shoal Maintenance Dredging, $4.62 Million * Saammento River Veep Water Ship-Channel,$545,000 • San.Francisco to Stockton(7F Baldwin) Channel Deepening and Arron Turning Basin Construction, $1.1 Million First, we seek full funding for mafntenance dredging of the Suisun Bay Channel and New York Slough, critical portions of the 1F Baldwin Shipping Channel. Your committee generously provided S1.65 million in FY'02 and$3.815 million in FY03 to partially fund dredging activities in the Suisun Bay portion of the channel. Our request for FY04 reflects the increased cost of new requirements to dispose of dredged material in upland environments. The dredged material is used for levee restoration in the Bay-Delta area aud for wetlands restoration tbmughout the region. Through Contra CostaCounty's sponsorship, local refineries and other industries will provide part of the requisite local cost sha ng requirements. The P'resident's budget included a$5.172 million request for maintenance dredging for Suisun Bay Channel. PMTM ON HECYCLEO PAPeA vti .+.vr .vvv vo.v� araaa �vs.a.a.v aivvcr a�cN veva tyc Na 1.iLGi �j vvaa Second,we support$4.62 million in funding for the maintenance dredging of San Pablo Bay/Pinole Shoals/Mare Island Strait. Adjacent to the Suiszm Bay Channel, San.Pablo Bay/Pinole Shoals/Mare Island Strait is a major artery for bulk cargo and oil tankers through the San Francisco Bay area. Ships passing through this area can continue up the Carquinez Strait or travel north on the Napa.River.Prior to the closing of Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the Navy provided the necessary annual dredging for this portion of the ship transportation corridor. However,the only recent activity was emergency dredging of portions of this area by the Army Corps in April of 2001. Your committee generously provided$1.5 Million for this project in FY03. Both maintenance dredging requests are supported by the San Francisco Bar Pilots,the United States Coast Guard,Contra Costa County,the Port of Stockton and numerous private companies that rely on the channel. Third,we are seeking your support for appropriations for the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel totaling$545,040 to complete the environmental analysis kid update costs of this project. This section of the channel connects to New York Slough on the west and extends to the Port of Sacramento on the eastern side. The project hss been dormant for nearly ten years due to the financial inability of the Fort of Sacramento to provide required cost share*for the project. The major features of the project are essentially unchanged from approved documents.The fort of Sacramento now has existing fw dj avaslable in an existing escrow accquot with the C9MI,2 Engineers for the umdates to continue. Once the necessary environmental documentation is -� completed and the local cost-share is matched.,the Army Corps will be ready to undertake the necessary dredging to ensure that this section of the channel is of equal depth to connecting portions. Your committee generously provided$250,000 for this project in FY03. Finally,we seek a$1.1 million appropriation for San Francisco to Stockton (JF Baldwin) Ship Channel Deepening and Avon Turning Basin Construction. This fimding will complete the General Reevaluation Report(GRR) and construction of a turning basin at Avon, California as part of Phase Three of the JF Baldwin Deepening Project. Your committee provided$1.8 million for this project last year.which was matched by local refineries through a partnership with Contra Costa County. The$1.l million request includes$300,000 to study the salinity effects of deepening the IF Baldwin Ship Channel from one to four feet,which is necessary to ensure that any deepening will not compromise water quality in the area and$800,0000 to begin the next phase of the 3F Baldwin Deepening Project.. The construction of ship u rning basin at Avon,California provides several safety and environmental benefits to the Baldwin Shipping Channel. First,a turning basin at this location will increase the distance between vessels traveling within the channel and those vessels berthed at terminals along the transportation corridor. Second,providing a uniform depth of-35 feet will allow oil tanker vessels to turn within navigational boundaries rather than in shallower areas where the risk of grounding is greater. Finally,the turning,basin provides emergency anchorage for vessels traveling seaward when the nearby railroad bridge fails to close. The failure of this bridge to close resulted in a ship grounding in 1999. VY! #V! y..VVV VO.X.V A-AA r.V&&"VVVVO L%=r %XOVi O, - ALA..L CU 'C •••fro Thank you very much for your past support of our constituent's energy and water development `�- needs and, in advance, for your attention to these important requests. Please feel free to contact Amelia Jenkins in Rep. Miler's office at 225-2095 with any questions you might have. Sincerely, no Rep. lie Thompson Rep.Tao g Ose 1I Congmssional District 3'Con ssional District OIL Rep. George Wer Rep.Nancy Pelo 7' Congressional District 8'Congressional istrict Rep. Barbara LM Rep.Ellen Teuscher 9" Congressional District 101 Congressional District Rep.Richard Tambo 11 Congressional.District The Board of Supervisors �%C��1��"� John Sweeten Clerk of the Board t County Administration Building at County Administrator 651 Pine Street,Room 106 Cosa��^^'''�`}} (925)335-19W Martinez,California 94553-1293 Coml- ry John Giola,1st District { Gayle S.Uilkema,2nd District e � Donna Gerber,3rd District •.� �- Mark DeSaulnler,4th District Federal D.Glover,5th Districti June 24, 2003 The Honorable Mike Thompson 1"Congressional District � 119 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Thompson: The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors would like to thank you for your support of Federal FY 2004 appropriations for navigation projects which are very important to the Bay-Delta region. Your signature on the March 28,2003 joint letter of request to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water is very:much appreciated. Projects for which we requested funding included the Suisun Bay/New York Slow h Maintenance Dredging, (includes beneficial reuse of dredged material for wetlands and levees),the San Francisco-Stockton(Baldwin) Ship Channel Deepening(salinity and related studies), and the Pinole Shoal Maintenance Dredging Project. We are requesting funding for FFY 2004, as we were unable to obtain full funding in FFY2003. Full funding of our projects is very important, as these projects are benefit a large region and contain elements which are clearly to the public benefit, such as beneficial reuse of dredged sediments for wetlands creation and levee rehabilitation. These projects cost more as a result, and come during difficult budgetary times. We hope you will continue to work with us on these important projects, despite the financial challenge they represent. Your support is much appreciated. We look forward to successfully obtaining full funding for these important projects with your help. If you have questions,please contact Roberta Goulart,our Water Agency staff, at(925) 335- 1226. Sincerely, Mark.DeSaulnier, Chair Beard.of Supervisors VVVV VC-GV I'MA (.V is Gt VVo y�c� \7GV1 Dc ualticl Thank you very much for your past support of our constituent's energy and water development needs and,in advance, for your attention to these important requests. please feel free to contact Amelia Jenkins in Rep. Miller's office at 225-2095 with any questions you might have. Sincerely, kep% Mike Thorupsou Rep.Do g Ose 1 It Congressional District 3'Con essional District �_+rir/I�+u. �i��Vim• Rep. GeorgeMMer Rep.fancy Pelo 7 Congressional District $I Congressional District Rep.Barbara Lee, 10a, Ellen Teuscher 91 Congressional District 10a,Congressional District A4�e—p"— Rep.Richard Pombo I l Congressional District