Crucial Need to Widen the Houston Ship Channel

Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo yesterday testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means – Subcommittee on Trade, concerning “Trade Infrastructure for Global Competitiveness”.

In his testimony, Campo highlighted the critical need to expeditiously widen and deepen the Houston Ship Channel – “Project 11.”

He stressed the economic impact of the Houston Ship Channel, the busiest waterway in the nation, as a critical, national piece of trade infrastructure, and that it is vital to expand the channel to maintain safety, economic growth, and national competitiveness.

“The Houston Ship Channel is indisputably a vital pillar of our national trade infrastructure,” Campo said. “Together, with our private industry partners, we are working with the federal government to deliver an expanded waterway faster than the traditional process. We cannot afford to wait.”

According to Campo, the greater Port of Houston is the top U.S. port for exports, helping Texas remain the #1 ranked exporting state. It is also the nation’s #1 energy port and largest exporter of crude oil, and home to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the nation, second in the world only behind Rotterdam.