McCollum’s $500,000 Community Project Request for St. Paul’s Small Boat Harbor Included in Funding Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Funding bill and report today, including a Community Project Funding (CPF) request made by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) to benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District:

• Project:Dredging St. Paul Small-Boat Harbor ($500,000)
  Providing long overdue and critically needed dredging of the St. Paul Small-Boat Harbor, which will support and maintain effective emergency response services, and improve the overall poor conditions of the harbor. The St. Paul Small-Boat Harbor is on the lower end of Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minnesota. The natural fluctuations of both the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and subsequent silt buildup is of significant concern for not only the maritime operations of the St. Paul Fire Department, but for the overall safety of all those that travel its waterways. The Lower Harbor also provides a critical pool of affordable housing at a time when this resource is desperately needed.

"The St. Paul Small-Boat Harbor is a critical piece of our river infrastructure, and this funding for maintenance will ensure the Harbor can continue to be used by the St. Paul Fire Department for emergency response on and along the Mississippi River," Congresswoman McCollum said. "I look forward to continuing to work to secure this funding and make this a reality."

"Federal funding for the Saint Paul Small Boat Harbor Project near Harriet Island will help maintain effective emergency response services and improve overall conditions of the harbor," said Ward 2 St. Paul City Councilmember Rebecca Noecker. "Dredging the harbor is critically needed, and I look forward to continuing to work with Congresswoman McCollum on bringing these funds to our community."

Background:

For 2022, the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Funding Bill provides $53.226 billion, an increase of $1.474 billion above 2021. The legislation:

• Creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy technologies and the green jobs of tomorrow in communities across the country
• Confronts the climate crisis with more than $14 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy
• Rebuilds our nation's water infrastructure, critical to protecting communities from more frequent and severe storms and addressing the worsening drought

The bill next heads to the floor of the U.S. House Floor for debate and approval.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.