Sen. Ted Cruz voiced strong support Tuesday for the Houston Ship Channel Improvement Project, after being briefed by Port Houston leadership and top executives representing industry along the channel.
Sen. Cruz said the widening and deepening project is important to Texas and the nation and lauded the leadership of Port Houston and the business community for their willingness to work together to get the project completed.
He called the Port of Houston “the crown jewel of the Texas economy” and said expansion of the channel will trigger the creation of even more jobs.
The project has been the focus of a four-year study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Port Houston that is expected to be finished next spring. At the same time, Port Houston and industry stakeholders are working together to get the project authorized in Water Resources Development Act legislation in 2020 and built on an accelerated schedule.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo provided an overview of the project for Sen. Cruz. Industry representatives from ExxonMobil, Kinder Morgan, Kirby Corp., Magellan, Odfjell USA, SemGroup, Targa Resources and the Coalition for a Fair and Open Port joined the port in advocating for the importance of the expansion project.
The briefing highlighted the national economic value of the Port of Houston, supporting energy security and expansion, domestic manufacturing, and exports. Port Houston and industry stakeholders have been collaborating on possible funding and other strategies to accelerate the widening and deepening project.
The greater Port of Houston, which is comprised of about 200 facilities along the ship channel, has a national economic impact of nearly $802 billion annually and supports about 3.2 million jobs. In Texas alone, the economic value of the port is about $340 billion.
For more information about the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Project, please visit www.WidentheHoustonShipChannel.com
Source: Port Houston
