Last week, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) toured the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) hopper dredge Yaquina along with local port and trade leaders to see the dredging process firsthand and discuss how she can support operations along the Columbia River at the federal level.

The USACE Portland District’s Yaquina, and larger Essayons, operated by Merchant Marine crews, help to maintain entrance bars, rivers, and harbors vital to the passage of maritime trade in the region. On the tour, the Congresswoman visited the bridge, engine room, and hopper, and spoke with crew members about yearly maintenance, federal funding needs, and staffing and operations.

“With billions of dollars of cargo moving through our shipping channels each year, the hard work of dredging crews is essential for keeping our waterways safe and navigable and our economy moving full steam ahead,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “I enjoyed joining the crew of the Yaquina to see the impressive amount of institutional knowledge that keeps their vessel running and hear how we can best support operations and streamline maintenance needs.”

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has visited 13 ports across Southwest Washington, held roundtables on trade and maritime transportation, and joined the Columbia River Bar Pilots in September to see their work ensuring safe passage of cargo.

In April, the Congresswoman led a group of her colleagues to urge the prioritization of funding to complete the South Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River. She also successfully helped ensure a critical weather buoy at the mouth of the Columbia River was repaired, and is urging NOAA to service another inoperable buoy.