Port Houston Chairman Testifies Before Congress

Crucial need to widen the Houston Ship Channel

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thursday, Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo 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.” Campo 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 says. “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.”

The activity along the Houston Ship Channel sustains 3 million U.S. jobs, and each year provides $802 billion in economic value and generates $38 billion in tax revenue.

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.

Full Committee Ranking Member Congressman Kevin Brady invited Campo to testify. A video of Campo’s testimony is available at this link: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings.

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals of the greater Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the nation. The Port of Houston supports the creation of 1.35 million jobs in Texas and 3.2 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $339 billion in Texas – 20.6 percent of the state’s total gross domestic product – and more than $801.9 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.