[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 33 (Monday, August 16, 2004)]
[Pages 1582-1584]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Columbia River Channel Deepening Project in Portland, 
Oregon

August 13, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Thanks 
for having me. Laura and I are thrilled to be here. You know, Steve, 
when you and I spent all that time in the library in college--
[laughter]--never did you think you'd be introducing a President. Never 
did you think it would be me. [Laughter] I'm proud to be with my old 
classmate, and I'm proud to be here to talk about a really important 
project for this part of the world. I want to thank you for your 
stewardship, Steve, and thanks for introducing me.
    Today we're going to take an important new step to enhance the 
vitality of this river and thereby expand opportunities for the people 
of the Pacific Northwest. Today I'm announcing that we'll soon begin 
deepening 104 miles of the Columbia River Channel from the mouth of the 
river on the Pacific to Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.
    By deepening the channel of this river from 40 to 43 feet, we will 
create new export opportunities at Columbia River ports; we'll help our 
farmers and ranchers; we'll help our manufacturers remain competitive; 
we'll protect and restore jobs--really good paying jobs--and we'll help 
conserve and restore the river ecosystem. This is a vital project. I'm 
submitting a $15 million budget amendment to fund the beginning stages 
of the Columbia River Deepening Project. What I'm telling you is we're 
committed to keeping the Columbia River open for navigation and trade, 
and we're committed to keeping America's great ports open for business.
    I thank my friend Gordon Smith for his leadership on this important 
project. I want to thank Senator Patty Murray from the State of 
Washington for joining us and for working on this project as well. This 
project needs bipartisan cooperation, and I want to thank the Senators 
from both parties for joining us. I appreciate Congressman Greg Walden 
being here as well. And I want to thank my friend George Nethercutt, 
Congressman from the State of Washington, for joining us as well.
    I appreciate the speaker being here.
    And somebody told me that former Senator Mark Hatfield is with us 
today. Senator, how are you? It's great to see you. You're looking 
great. Mrs. Hatfield, how are you? I'll tell Mother, Antoinette, you're 
looking good. [Laughter] So is she. [Laughter]
    I appreciate J.P. Woodley. He's the Assistant Secretary of Army, the 
commander and division engineer for this project. I want to thank 
Brigadier General Don Riley. He's the director of the civil works of the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer.
    I appreciate Bob Lohn. It's good to see Bob again. Last time I saw 
Bob, we were talking about salmon restoration. I appreciate you being 
here. Dave Wesley is the Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service--David Wesley is the Deputy Regional Director of the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service.
    Listen, this is a project that requires all aspects of government 
working together to make sure this happens. I'm not the kind of guy that 
likes to stand up and say, ``This is going to happen,'' and it doesn't 
happen. I'm the kind of person who says, ``When it's going to happen, it 
is going to happen.'' And that's why these Government officials are 
here, to hear it clearly from the President, we expect this to go 
forward.
    I appreciate the representatives from organized labor who are here. 
Thank you for coming. Thank you for lending your voice in this important 
project. I want to thank the Port of Portland. I want to thank the 
farmers and ranchers who are here. I appreciate what you're doing to 
feed our country and to help the hungry around the world as well.
    Ever since President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on their 
expedition to

[[Page 1583]]

the West, the Federal Government has recognized the importance of the 
Columbia River. This is one of America's vital waterways. It is a key 
artery of commerce for the Pacific Northwest. I say ``key'' artery of 
commerce--that means it's a key for jobs. We want people working. When 
we say ``artery of commerce,'' that means it's a key for job creation, a 
chance for people to make a living when this river functions to its 
maximum potential.
    Growers and manufacturers from Oregon and Washington to the Midwest 
count on the Columbia's deep-draft shipping channel to get their 
products to the Pacific and then to overseas markets. Last year, more 
than $15 billion worth of cargo traveled through the Columbia River 
ports, including more wheat than America shipped on any other river. If 
you're a wheat farmer, that's good news. If you're somebody who relies 
upon wheat to sustain your life, that's also good news.
    In all, more than 1,000 businesses, some 40,000 good-paying Pacific 
Northwest jobs depend on Columbia River shipping. That's why this 
project is so vital.
    Columbia River ports have become some of the busiest on the West 
Coast, but in recent years, a problem has started to emerge. It seems 
like to me those of us in government ought to see problems and figure 
out how to solve them early, before it becomes too late. That's really 
what we're here talking about, isn't it. The cargo ships that carry 
crops and other Pacific Northwest products across the Pacific are larger 
than they used to be, and they depend on deeper navigation waters.
    In 1970, the average cargo ship's draft was 25 to 30 feet. Today, 
it's from 41 to 45 feet. Yet the depth of this river behind me has 
stayed the same, at 40 feet. That's the problem: It's not deep enough to 
handle the new ships. And so some shippers are now diverting ocean 
traffic away from Portland and toward other ports. Because this river is 
too shallow, the Port of Portland is at a competitive disadvantage. 
Ultimately, that will hurt the ability for people to find work.
    With fewer ships coming into the Columbia River ports, farmers and 
growers are forced to pay higher transportation costs. That will affect 
our farm economy. And the solution is clear: If you want more vibrant 
trade, if you want more navigable rivers, if you want busier ports, we 
need to deepen this channel. We need to make it deeper. And so that's 
what we're going to do. The engineering work is already underway, and 
they'll start moving mud next year.
    Deepening the channel by three feet might not sound like a big 
change to some folks, but the people here know what it means. The people 
who are the experts understand what that extra three feet means for this 
mighty river. See, cargo ships will be able to load 300 more containers 
than they can now. If they're shipping grain, they'll be able to carry 
an extra 6,000 tons. And that's good news for farmers.
    By working together to deepen the Columbia River Channel, we're 
helping to save manufacturers and growers an estimated $68 million a 
year on the cost of shipping containerized cargo. That helps a lot when 
you're competing in a global market, especially if you're an individual 
rancher, small-business owner, owner of your own farm.
    The steps I'm announcing today also fulfill our responsibility to be 
good stewards of the land and water. The environmental review of this 
project included active participation by interested parties and the 
public. Through the collaborative process, they come up with the 
solution. It included a thorough analysis by environmental agencies, and 
they ruled the dredging safe for the river's ecosystem.
    The Army Corps of Engineer will carry out their work under strict 
environmental guidelines and monitoring. In fact, this project includes 
restoration and conservation measures that go beyond the requirements of 
the law. We're installing new technology in the lower Columbia River to 
help salmon and steelhead pass through the tide gates. We'll restore and 
protect wildlife habitats in tidal marshes, swamps, and other wetlands. 
We're seeking out good uses for the sand dredge from the bottom of the 
river. All of these efforts will help us meet a great goal, to leave the 
Columbia River ecosystem in better shape than we found it. I'm confident 
we can achieve that goal.
    The Columbia River Channel Deepening Project is a wise use of 
taxpayers' money. It fosters an ethic of cooperation between

[[Page 1584]]

Washington, DC, and State and local governments. It brings together 
business leaders and labor representatives, farmers, ranchers, and 
conservationists and politicians on both sides of the aisle. The project 
fulfills the Government's charge to create the conditions for economic 
expansion and job growth by respecting our duties to the environment.
    I'm proud that we're able to move forward with this project after 
years of review. I urge the United States Congress to act quickly on my 
budget request.
    On many other issues from reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire 
to keeping hydropower energy rates as low as possible to conserving our 
precious salmon, my administration is working with Pacific Northwest 
leaders to meet our shared priorities. I look forward to working with 
you in the future to sustain the physical and economic vitality of this 
beautiful part of America.
    Thank you all for coming. May God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. at Rivergate Industrial Park. In 
his remarks, he referred to Steve Corey, commissioner, Port of Portland; 
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives Karen Minnis; and Bob 
Lohn, Regional Administrator, Northwest Regional Office, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.