DeLauro Applauds Funds in President’s Budget for New Haven Harbor

$8.6 Million Would Go Towards Badly Needed HarborMaintenance

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) releasedthe following statement today applauding President Obama's inclusion of $8.6million for New Haven harbor maintenance in his 2014 budget request. InDecember, DeLauro askedthe Administration to include funds for the maintenance in his budget.

"This is good news for New Haven and I applaud theAdministration for including the vast majority of the funds I asked for in itsbudget request. This investment will help the region's economic development,paying dividends for years to come. The fact that the harbor was already duefor maintenance, combined with the effects of Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, hasmade dredging the harbor absolutely crucial. But the President's budget requestis just a first step and we now need the request to become a reality. I willfight every step of the way to make sure that is exactly what happens."

The 2011 and 2012 hurricane seasons resulted in significantshoaling in the New Haven harbor, which significantly degraded the shippingchannels. As a result, the channel now needs 800,000 cubic yards of sedimentdredged to restore the shipping channels to their federally authorized depthand width. Without that dredging, terminal operators could be required torestrict harbor traffic during low tide, severely limiting the flow of cargo.

The Port of New Haven is the largest in Connecticut andthird largest in New England, making it a critical part of the state's economy.It serves as a gateway for much of the region's petroleum products, supplyingeight million tons of gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil in 2010. The Portof New Haven also supplies Bradley International Airport with jet fuel viapipeline.