Reps. Miller, McKinley, and Mooney Sign Letter in Support of Port of Virginia in Norfolk Widening

WASHINGTON, D.C. – West Virginia Reps. Carol Miller, David McKinley, and Alex Mooney, sent a letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell T. Vought, to support the Norfolk Harbor and Channels Project recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as the Administration considers the upcoming Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Work Plan.

The project will widen and deepen the Port of Virginia in Norfolk to allow for larger ships and 2-way traffic. In 2019 alone, 127 West Virginia businesses used the port to transport nearly $300 million in cargo and $2.4 billion worth of coal.

"As we work to revitalize our state, we must build up America's infrastructure to allow Appalachia to remain economically competitive," said Congresswoman Miller. "The Port of Virginia in Norfolk plays an essential role in ensuring West Virginia products and resources, like coal, are efficiently transported around the world. Expanding the port's capabilities will supply more stable jobs to our region, bring new investment into our state, and make West Virginia's goods competitive in international markets. I encourage Director Vought to support this project."

"The Port of Virginia is essential for getting West Virginia coal to international markets. As the largest coal exporting port in the United States, it is a vital lifeline for tens of thousands of jobs in the West Virginia coalfields," said Congressman McKinley. "Given the Port of Virginia's importance to Americas economic and national security, these investments are critical."

"The Norfolk Harbor is critical to West Virginia's economy. Coal, cargo and other goods from West Virginia are shipped to a number of states in the mid-Atlantic region through this port. My colleagues and I urge the Trump Administration to support the Norfolk Harbor and Channels Project so that the Mountain State's economy can continue to grow," said Congressman Mooney.

Full Text of the Letter:
Dear Director Vought,
We are writing to express our support for the Norfolk Harbor and Channels Project, as the Administration considers the recommendations from US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) forconstruction new start designations in their upcoming Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Work Plan. This project is critical to both the U.S. Navy as well as the export and import of goods to a large number of states in the mid-Atlantic region, including West Virginia. We humbly request a new start designation and $78.6 million in FY21 funding for the federal share of the project in the FY21 Work Plan.

As you know, this project was originally authorized for deepening in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 and again in the 2018 WRDA for both deepening and widening. These authorizations allow for deepening and widening of the main shipping channel that serves Norfolk Harbor. This project is important for national security, trade, and the state of West Virginia, which relies on the Port of Virginia for containerized cargo and its many coal shipping terminals.

West Virginia depends on the port facilities in Norfolk, due to both their excellent rail access and the fact that their export terminals handles almost all coal mined on the East Coast. In 2019, West Virginia had 127 businesses utilize the Port of Virginia, with nearly $300 million worth of cargo and 21 million tons of coal worth $2.4 billion moving through the Port. Demand for American metallurgical coal, used specifically in the steel making process, remains in high demand.

The widening of the channel is important due to the need to ensure that commercial and Navy ships can safely operate and to enable the channel to be used 24 hours per day. The much larger container ships now calling on East Coast ports due to the Panama Canal expansion presently require the Norfolk shipping channels to be temporarily closed to two-way traffic, which creates economic inefficiencies as other ships are delayed in entering and exiting the Port in a timely manner. The deepening is also critical to coal exports from West Virginia, as it will finally allow large bulk coal carriers to load at Norfolk to their full draft, rather than only taking on a partial load due to the current depth. This improvement will significantly lower shipping costs for our coal producers.

We thank you for your consideration of this request.