Gluesenkamp Perez’s PORT Act Passes House, Along With Assistance for Flooding in Rosburg and Grays River

Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) voted with her bipartisan colleagues to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), which included assistance for flooding in Wahkiakum County, as well as the Congresswoman’s Prioritizing Opportunities for Rural Transformation (PORT) Act to approve a land conveyance to the Port of Skamania to support local economic development. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

In January, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez testified in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to fight for the inclusion of these long-awaited priorities in this year’s WRDA. Video of her testimony can be found here.

The legislation will approve the Port of Skamania’s request for a 1.6-acre plot of unused U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, which the port filed over 40 years ago and requires Congressional authorization.

The WRDA will also require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess the causes of fine sediment accumulation that causes flooding in Rosburg and Grays River, as well as potential solutions to manage flood risk. When flooding occurs on the Grays River, it cuts off access to roughly 500 people, often for more than two days at a time. Within hours, the flooding limits vital emergency services, business operations, and school transportation, leaving behind sediment that can be dangerous and time consuming to remove. Last December, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued five people trapped in flooding conditions near Rosburg.

“Living in unincorporated Skamania County, I’ve seen firsthand how our community has had to endure painful cuts to vital services due to a lack of developable land and our funding being tied to natural resources like timber. This 1.6-acre plot of land is the kind of thing that can make an incredible difference in empowering our rural community. The port’s typewritten request for this land was filed before I was born, and it was unfortunately ignored by Congress for 40 years,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “Rosburg and Grays River know the impacts of flooding all too well – and it’s only been getting worse. These floods are dangerous, leave behind debris, and cut off critical services, so our federal government needs to take urgent action to find solutions. After Congress has failed to act for years, I’m glad I could call attention to these much-needed priorities for our rural communities and bring them one step closer to being a reality.”

The Water Resources Development Act is a biannual bill required for the authorization of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation projects, including to improve navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez helped secure the transfer of the remaining 23.4-acres of the Wind River Administrative Site to Skamania County, which was finalized in October. She is also fighting to prevent the Secure Rural Schools program from expiring, as it serves as a lifeline for rural schools and infrastructure and accounts for 5.1 percent of Skamania County’s budget.