HOUSTON, April 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port Commission of The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) approved nearly $4 million for Bayport Container Terminal projects as well as a Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant request to help private industry with funding for diesel engine air emission reduction measures, at its April 29 meeting, re-scheduled from the original April 28 date due to severe weather and regional flooding.
During the meeting, Chairman James T. Edmonds announced that the efforts of the bipartisan Texas congressional delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Gene Green, resulted in the designation of $98.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for infrastructure projects at the Houston Ship Channel (HSC). The stimulus funding serves as one of the largest-ever single allocations of federal monies to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct, operate and maintain the HSC. PHA hopes to secure the remaining $140 million needed through increased FY2010 and FY2011 appropriations.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
(Agenda G4) Commissioners approved awarding a construction contract to Forde Construction Co., Inc. for a dust suppression system at Industrial Park East at the Turning Basin Terminal for $600,000. The port authority's annual dust suppression program at the site is part of a multi-faceted effort to meet and exceed Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requirements. The project is part of PHA's commitment to environmental compliance.
(Agenda M9) The commission approved an application for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding to benefit Port of Houston maritime industry members. As part of the economic stimulus package signed into federal law in February -- the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 -- approximately $300 million has been made available for Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grants through EPA regions nationwide. DERA grants focus on promoting economic recovery, preserving and creating jobs and reducing diesel emissions. The program works to achieve these goals by providing funding assistance for engine repowers, equipment replacement, and retrofit technologies, with the aim of reducing air emission from diesel engines. Each grant application is expected to show not only air emission benefits for the region, but also job retention or creation for the region, since all monies received through these grants must be expended no later than September 2010. The port authority will provide assistance to private industry to help obtain these benefits.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda G6) Commissioners approved awarding a professional services contract to Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc., for materials testing and management of the container yard, marine gate and advanced dredging construction at Bayport Container Terminal for nearly $2.3 million.
(Agenda G7) Commissioners approved awarding a professional services contract to QC Laboratories, Inc., for materials testing and management of the wharf, buildings, construction of the sound and sight buffer berm, and 138 kV substation expansion at Bayport Container Terminal for $1.6 million.
WOODHOUSE MATTERS
(Agenda K3) Commissioners approved advertising and receipt of competitive sealed proposals to replace pavement over the tunnel at Transit Shed No. 2 at Woodhouse Terminal. In an ongoing improvement effort, abandoned conveyor tunnels at the Woodhouse Terminal are filled in as necessary. At the north end of Transit Shed No. 2, the pavement above a portion of a tunnel is broken. This project will fill the tunnel, using recycled concrete from completed PHA projects, cap utilities, and replace the broken pavement with structural concrete.
TURNING BASIN MATTERS
(Agenda K4) The commission approved advertising and receipt of competitive sealed proposals for deck rehabilitation of Wharf Nos. 47 and 48 at the Turning Basin Terminal. The top slab on Wharves 47 and 48 has developed cracks, resulting in the spalling (breaking into smaller pieces) of the concrete surface slab from heavy loading of steel cargo. To ensure that these PHA wharves are in top working condition, this project will provide joints in the top slab and repair the spalled concrete.
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MATTERS
(Agenda M8) The commission approved amending the Small Business Development Program policy and procedures manual, last revised in March 2007. These policy and procedures were initially adopted by the port commission on April 22, 2002, and implementation for SBDP-eligible contracts began May 1 of that year. The Small Business Development program was initiated with the goal of awarding 35 percent of all eligible port authority contracts to certified small businesses, and since 2002, $239 million or 37 percent of contracts have been awarded to registered small businesses.
The policy and procedures have remained a work in progress, and appropriate changes and updates to the program's policies and procedures continue to be made. On March 31, 2009, the SBD Task Force met and recommended that the latest procedural improvements be adopted this month.
This news release is not a substitute for the official PHA agenda. To view the complete agenda, please visit: http://portofhouston.com/publicrelations/meetings.html
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, there are more than 8,000 vessel calls at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. The port authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. The second recertification of those facilities in 2009 included an extension for the state-of-the-art Bayport Container Terminal. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
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