Press Releases

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Votes To Invest in the Port of Houston

(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) cosponsored and voted to pass H.R. 2440, the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act, a bipartisan bill requiring funds collected in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for authorized harbor maintenance needs, including to the Port of Houston, be spent on such activities. The bill passed the House, 296 to 109.

“The Port of Houston is a critical driver of our economy – locally and nationally. It is essential that the Port operates at its highest capacity. Right now, it pays more into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund than it receives for maintenance and other needs,” said Congresswoman Fletcher. “HR 2440 ensures that money for port infrastructure is going where it is supposed to, and I'm glad to see it pass the House yesterday. It is a top priority to ensure that the Port has the resources and tools it needs to continue driving Houston’s economy, which is why I’m pleased to serve on committee in Congress that will make that possible, especially the effort to widen and deepen the Port to accommodate our increased and changing traffic.”

In 1986, Congress enacted the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) to recover the operation and maintenance dredging costs for ports from maritime shippers. Funds collected and funds spent on harbor maintenance are not the same, however. Approximately $9.3 billion in already collected revenue sits idle in the U.S. Treasury, not being used for its intended purpose of investing in the country’s ports and harbors. While shippers continue to pay into the Trust Fund for Congressionally approved maintenance activities, the federal government has not performed many of them.

The Port of Houston is the second-busiest port in the United States in terms of overall tonnage. Each year, it generates $75 to $100 million in federal Harbor Maintenance Trust revenue, yet needs $50 to $60 million to adequately maintain the Houston Ship Channel at its authorized depth and width. Its operations and management dredging allocations in recent years have been $40 million or below.