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.