[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DELAWARE RIVER MAIN CHANNEL DREDGING

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                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 7, 2004

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to set the 
record straight on the issue of dredging in the Delaware River Main 
Channel. I fear that some of my colleagues have been misinformed as to 
the economic and environmental impacts of dredging in the Delaware 
River.
  Mr. Speaker, Delaware River's regional ports handle approximately 58 
million tons of cargo yearly. More than 54,000 jobs in the region are 
dependent upon the Port of Philadelphia alone. The ports in my district 
bring $3.5 billion into the regional economy, creating $1 billion in 
wages, and contributing $486 million in state and local revenues. Those 
effects are not just felt in my district, or in the City of 
Philadelphia, or even just in Pennsylvania. They are felt in suburban 
Philadelphia, and in our sister states, Delaware and New Jersey. This 
project is economically sound and a good use of the taxpayer's money. 
In February 2004, a supplement to the Comprehensive Economic Reanalysis 
Report identified $24.2 million in annual benefits and $21 million in 
annual costs, yielding a net benefit of $1.15 for every $1 spent on the 
project.
  Shipping is a volatile industry, which is increasingly moving toward 
larger ships. Today's container ships can be more than 1,000 feet long 
and require at least 45-foot channel depth.
  Ports in the United States and throughout the world have undertaken 
projects to deepen their channels in order to accommodate larger 
vessels. In order to remain competitive with other ports across the 
Eastern seaboard, the Delaware River's Main Channel must be deepened.
  And, this project is not simply about jobs and the competitiveness of 
my region's ports. The dredging of the Delaware River main channel is 
vital to the nation's energy needs and to our ability to wage the war 
on terror.
  Mr. Speaker, the Department of Defense selected the Port of 
Philadelphia as a Strategic Seaport for the Northeast Corridor of the 
United States. Since that selection, material has been shipped from 
Philadelphia in support or our troops under fire. We must have a deep, 
clear channel in the event that larger vessels are required to meet 
DoD's needs.
  Military logistics often rely heavily on commercial shipping and thus 
are impacted by industry trends toward larger vessel.
  Three quarters of the East Coast's refinery capability is located in 
the Philadelphia region. Due to the Channel's shallow draft, oil 
tankers cannot reach the Port of Philadelphia and must off-load oil on 
to small ships through a process called ``lightering.'' This is 
environmentally hazardous. Every time oil is off-loaded, there is a 
real risk of a spill. By deepening the Delaware, oil tankers will be 
able to sail straight to port, cutting the chance of a spill.
  And when some raise the specter of environmental damage due to 
dredging, I must point out that Several series of tests were conducted 
using EPA testing procedures which mixed and stirred Delaware River 
sediment with Delaware River water to approximate dredging, and no 
toxic releases were found. New York EPA Region 2, and Philadelphia EPA 
Region 3, have both independently analyzed the river sediment and found 
the claims of toxic sediment false. Furthermore, both Pennsylvania and 
New Jersey Departments of Environmental Protection have evaluated the 
sediment to be dredged and also found it to be not toxic.
  It is true that the dredged sediment from the existing Delaware River 
maintenance project has been placed at Tamaqua, PA, as one of my 
friends has stated on the floor of this House. However, it was placed 
there at the request of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to 
prevent pollutants from entering streams from existing, unused mines. 
Mine reclamation is the reduction of acid mine drainage, which is the 
number one cause of stream degradation in PA. Before being used, the 
material was tested and passed inspection by the Pennsylvania 
Department of Environmental Protections. And we are safely using this 
material even now in my district. The City of Philadelphia is using 
these so-called spoils to reclaim unusable wet lands at our old Navy 
Yard and for pier reclamation. And we'll take even more in the future. 
So, let's put to rest this false rumor about Philly sludge being dumped 
up state or in New Jersey. We're taking our fair share.
  Mr. Speaker, the Delaware River deepening project is important for my 
constituents, for our region and for the entire nation. I trust that, 
when they examine the facts about it, every one of my colleagues will 
join me in supporting it.




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