Support the Port-Bring the noise-start writing and pass the word

[CJ]

RESOLUTION 2011-513

A RESOLUTION CALLING TO ACTION ALL CITIZENS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA TO JOIN THE “SUPPORT OUR PORT” BRING THE NOISE COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN BY RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH EDUCATION, ACTIVISM AND LETTER WRITING; MOBILIZING NORTHEAST FLORIDA’S COMPETITIVE SPIRIT TO DRIVE PORT PROGRESS, A STRONGER ECONOMY AND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

 

     WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) is Northeast Florida’s primary economic engine, supporting 65,000 jobs and generating over $19 billion in annual economic impact, as reported in 2009 by the maritime research firm, Martin Associates; and

     WHEREAS, Jacksonville has all of the attributes to be a top tier transportation center with easy access to three major Interstate highways, served by three railroads, including two Class I railroads, a seaport with one state-of-the-art post-Panamax container terminal and another in progress, a great labor situation and room to expand; and

     WHEREAS, the future of the port is threatened by a navigational restriction where large ships cannot enter the harbor fully loaded with cargo; fixing this issue will bring more cargo to JAXPORT and create more than 3,500 jobs throughout the region; and JAXPORT needs a deeper harbor to handle the bigger container ships that will be arriving on the East Coast in several years when the newly expanded Panama Canal opens; and

     WHEREAS, since Washington D.C. and Tallahassee MUST hear a loud, unified message from our citizens and private sector businesses who stand to benefit from the port's success, a group of concerned Northeast Florida professionals realized the port cannot lobby for itself alone and formed the Support Our Port Community Campaign with a mission is to mobilize Northeast Florida’s competitive spirit to drive port progress, a stronger economy and a better quality of life; and

     WHEREAS, a total of 5,000 letters were collected at the kick-off event for this coalition that gathered 125 members of the Northeast Florida community on June 9th, 2011 in an effort to BRING THE NOISE by showing their support for port enhancements through a community letter writing campaign; and

     WHEREAS, the Support Our Port Community Campaign is working with a variety of industry and civic groups to provide the education and resources necessary in an effort to raise awareness of the issues and conduct their own letter writing campaigns; and

     WHEREAS, a “Support Our Port” BRING THE NOISE rally will be held on October 6, 2011 at the Jacksonville Landing and
all letters collected will be hand delivered to the recipients in Washington D.C. and Tallahassee; now therefore

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:

     Section 1.      The City of Jacksonville hereby calls to action all citizens of Northeast Florida to join the “Support Our Port” BRING THE NOISE Community Campaign by raising awareness through education, activism and letter writing, mobilizing Northeast Florida’s competitive spirit to drive port progress, a stronger economy and a better way of life.

 

Im thinking this group can and should "BRING THE NOISE" not just for the Port but to show our Solidarity in numbers!

 

[Patricia M. McBride]

Great article about Jaxport and lots of info overall.  Go to page 8 for the article from the Jaxport magazine:

http://www.jaxport.com/sites/default/files/docs/2011_summer_jaxport...

[Patricia M. McBride]

I received a couple of questions from Arlington members that were very good about resolution 2011-513, and because even I was not totally aware of all the reasons why this bill is handled as it is (but did know this project must be processed through the federal government), I wanted to send out something that was at least somewhat educational and informative. I hope if anyone else has more information they feel is relevant, they will share it if it adds to our understanding of this bill or complexities of this undertaking. The information below relates to the resolution currently before the council to petition for dredging in the St Johns River to make our port an acceptable destination for the larger ships that will be coming through to our coast based on changes in the Panama Canal and in the process, create a number of new jobs for the residents of Duval County and have a major impact on our local economy.

 

I might also first add, although I agree that a private business should be involved, the laws in place currently do not allow for that. From information I am personally aware of, in some cases, the Corp of Engineers uses their own dredging equipment and in other cases, and most likely here in Jacksonville, they contract with a private dredging company, but they oversee the project as they do any time dredging is done in one of our nation's rivers. They also deal with the environmental groups and get all the permitting. Both of these last 2 aspects would make it almost impossible for a private company to initiate and move forward with a project of the scope we are talking about and could delay even beginning such a project beyond anything we might consider normal on top of being extremely expensive in terms of legal costs.

[Patricia M. McBride]

 

Corp of Engineers Jurisdiction: Construction or placement of structures, dredging, and dredged material disposal in the waters of the United States.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permits

The following permits are considered together as they are administered together by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Regulatory Branch through a single permit application.

• RIVERS AND HARBORS ACT OF 1899 (SECTION 10)

  Authorities: 33 U.S.C. §§ 401-413: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899; 33 CFR 323: Permits for Structures or Work Affecting Navigable Waters of the United States.

   

• CLEAN WATER ACT (SECTION 404)

  Authorities: 33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq.: Federal Water Pollution Control Act; 33 FCR 322: Permits for Discharges of Dredged or Fill Material into the Waters of the United States.

   

• MARINE PROTECTION, RESEARCH AND SANCTUARIES ACT, (SECTION 103)

  Authorities: 33 U.S.C. §1401 et seq.: Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act; 33 CFR 324: Permits for Ocean Dumping of Dredged Material.

And something well worth the read is the information provided by Wikipedia which is a big overview of the Corp of Engineers. You can find the information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Corps_of_Engineers

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