[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 471 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 471

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, in 
                          Ballard, Washington.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 24, 2017

  Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. DelBene, Mr. 
Larsen of Washington, Mr. Heck, and Mr. Kilmer) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, in 
                          Ballard, Washington.

Whereas 2017 is the 100-year anniversary of the completion of the Hiram M. 
        Chittenden Locks, known locally as the Ballard Locks, in Ballard, 
        Washington;
Whereas the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and the Lake Washington Ship Canal were 
        completed on July 4, 1917, but were first proposed more than a half 
        century earlier, when the city of Seattle was only 3 years old;
Whereas the Locks and canal were conceived to support timber and other heavy 
        industry activity in the area;
Whereas the Navy also supported the Locks because it would create a strategic 
        moorage for military vessels;
Whereas the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are the busiest in the Nation in overall 
        vessel traffic, with more than 40,000 transits annually, and the 12th 
        busiest in use by commercial traffic, with 7,500 commercial transits 
        each year;
Whereas more than 1 million tons of freight move through the Lake Washington 
        Ship Canal and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks each year;
Whereas fishing vessels that use the Locks on a regular basis are responsible 
        for an estimated $545 million in revenues in fisheries from Oregon to 
        the North Pacific;
Whereas 25 percent of all maritime industrial support activity in Puget Sound is 
        connected to Alaska, accounting for 5,300 jobs and $390 million in 
        annual wages for the sector;
Whereas commercial fishing fleets depend on the Locks for access to centralized 
        goods and services;
Whereas the Locks welcome more than 1.25 million site visitors, including 
        150,000 tourists, school children, and other passengers who book cruises 
        through the Locks annually;
Whereas, as a visitor attraction, the Locks generate approximately $40 million 
        in spending impacts each year;
Whereas the construction of the Locks altered the Lake Washington system, 
        eliminating fish habitat and native fisheries, including those on the 
        Black River, which was the natural outlet of Lake Washington until it 
        was permanently dewatered by the Locks;
Whereas ensuring adequate fish passage through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks is 
        a key to meeting Federal trust responsibilities under treaties between 
        the United States Government and federally recognized Tribes, including 
        the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe;
Whereas the Muckleshoot Tribe partners with the United States Army Corps of 
        Engineers to study salmon runs, water quality, and other factors that 
        affect Tribal activities under treaty protection;
Whereas the Locks' fish ladder is the only ingress and egress point for 
        migrating salmon that spawn in the Lake Washington, Cedar, and Sammamish 
        watershed;
Whereas both Tribes conduct subsistence and commercial fishing activities, which 
        depend on fish which migrate through the Locks;
Whereas all salmon in the 692-square-mile watershed must travel through the 
        Locks twice in their lives; and
Whereas although the Locks have attracted $125 million in Federal, State, and 
        local funding for habitat protection and restoration projects initiated 
        since 1998 in the watershed, significant fish passage problems persist 
        and there is a need to continue to invest in improved fish passage: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Hiram M. 
        Chittenden Locks;
            (2) commends the Army Corps of Engineers for its 100-year 
        stewardship of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks;
            (3) recognizes the significant contribution of the Hiram M. 
        Chittenden Locks to the national maritime economy; and
            (4) recognizes the need for Federal investments in 
        modernizing the Locks and continuing to educate the community 
        about its history and the preservation of natural resources.
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