U.S. Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown have called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop delaying the Cuyahoga River channel dredging project.
According to the senators, irresponsible refusal to dredge the Cuyahoga River shipping channel is putting at risk the 18,000 Ohio jobs that depend on the Port of Cleveland.
“ For the past 80 years, the Corps has dredged the Cuyahoga River to allow cargo ships to safely navigate the Cleveland Harbor. However to date, the Corps has refused to dredge the Cuyahoga River for the 2016 shipping season. This is despite the Corps’ own surveys that show significant portions of the river have sediment levels exceeding the congressionally authorized amount ,” the Senators said in their letter.
They urged the Corps to dredge the Cuyahoga shipping channel in order to ensure safe and efficient transport of materials for the rest of the 2016 and early 2017 shipping seasons.