Letter to the Hon. R.D. James Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, US Army Corps of Engineers - Charleston Harbor Funding

Letter

Dear Secretary James and General Semonite:

As Congress moves to complete the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Appropriations Omnibus, we know that you are also working to finalize the details of the FY 2018 Army Corps' Work Plan. Our hope is that your Work Plan will advocate project funding levels consistent with the Administration's stated goal of prioritizing projects with substantial local or state investment. The Port of Charleston Deepening Project, with $300 million in state-level funding, is clearly the type of project that meets the Administration's objective.

The 52-foot Charleston Harbor Deepening Project is a model of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) SMART Planning process. The project is currently years ahead of schedule and under budget. Local port officials secured an Advanced Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the Army Corps of Engineers to allow the use of local funds to cover construction costs in the event of delays in federal funding. However, these local funds will only go so far.

We greatly appreciate the USACE's naming Charleston a new construction start and allocating $17.5 million in the 2017 Work Plan. The Charleston Harbor Deepening project will set a new standard for future projects, demonstrating the effectiveness and success of both the SMART Planning process and committed non-federal entities. The extent to which the Charleston project defines projects moving forward cannot be undervalued. To this end, we respectfully encourage the USACE to include project funding of$90 million in the FY 2018 Work Plan- allowing the Charleston project to stay on time and on budget.

Collaborative, proactive projects, like the Charleston Port deepening, are in the best interest of American taxpayers and present a great avenue for growing the nation's economy by investing in our infrastructure. That is why we unequivocally support the highest possible funding level for deepening the port in this year's Work Plan.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,