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2012 -- S 2438 AS AMENDED | |
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LC01711 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
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IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
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JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
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RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF | |
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TRANSPORTATION DESIGNATE THE PORTS OF RHODE ISLAND AS DESTINATION | |
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PORTS AS PART OF THE CURRENT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE | |
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MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPPING PROGRAM | |
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Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Sheehan, Walaska, Bates, and Goodwin | |
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Date Introduced: February 16, 2012 | |
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Referred To: Senate Corporations | |
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WHEREAS, United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has identified 18 |
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marine corridors and designated six initiatives for further development as part of “America’s |
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Marine Highway Program”; and |
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WHEREAS, These all-water routes consist of 11 corridors that can serve as extensions of |
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the United States transportation system; and |
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WHEREAS, These corridors identify routes where water transportation presents an |
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opportunity to offer relief from landside traffic congestion, excessive air emissions, and other |
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environmental concerns or challenges; and |
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WHEREAS, In these corridors, Secretary LaHood has designated the nearby Port of New |
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Bedford as a Marine Highway Initiative; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2009, the Rhode Island General Assembly established a Special |
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Legislative Commission to Study Potential Economic Opportunities in the Development of Port |
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Facilities in Rhode Island, known as the “Port Commission,” and charged it with studying Rhode |
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Island’s port-related economy, with the intent of making specific recommendations to better |
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utilize Rhode Island’s coastal resources and unique geographic location to create employment |
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opportunities for Rhode Islanders during the worst economic downturn since the Great |
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Depression; and |
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WHEREAS, After completing three years of study, the Commission has learned that: |
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(1) The Port of Providence has received a $10.5 million TIGER grant that will fund the |
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purchase and installation of two high performance harbor cranes which will enhance the port’s |
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ability to continue its existing bulk material operations, while expanding its capabilities to |
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accommodate container operations; |
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(2) The Port of Davisville also received a $22.3 million TIGER grant that will fund pier |
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and structural improvements, and install railroad track, ballast, and ties in the Pier 2 area, as well |
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as purchase a port crane; and |
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(3) These capital investments enable both facilities to better accommodate Marine |
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Highway cargo shipments; and |
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(4) The ports both have extensive rail interconnections into Rhode Island’s $230 million |
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Freight Rail Improvement Project; and |
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(5) The Port of Davisville also provides a 7,500-foot main runway with instrument |
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landing systems, making the facility truly intermodal; and |
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(6) The Port of Providence will post a 44-foot draft, capable of accepting most world- |
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scale cargo vessels; and |
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(7) Upon completion of its proposed dredging program, the Port of Davisville, the 5th |
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largest auto import facility in the U.S. specializing in RO-RO and ship channel, will post a 35- |
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foot draft, which will be enough to accommodate all current and future automotive ships; and |
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(8) ProvPort’s 2008 cargo volume exceeded 3.1 million tons, ranking it second in New |
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England after Boston; and |
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(9) The Port of Davisville is a designated foreign trade zone (105) only eight nautical |
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miles from open water and is capable of handling other cargos, such as processed fish, and project |
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cargos, such as steel and wind energy components; and |
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(10) Both ports provide easy access for hinterland cargos as they are situated close to |
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major interstate arteries, including the state’s $600 million I-195/I-95 relocation and enhancement |
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project and the recently completed $130 million Route 403 access highway to Routes 4 and I-95; |
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now, therefore be it |
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
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hereby requests that the United States Department of Transportation designate the Ports of Rhode |
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Island as destination ports as part of the current planning and implementation of the Marine |
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Highway Shipping Program, thus yielding additional federal funding and creating new jobs while |
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offering relief from landside traffic congestion, excessive air emissions, and other environmental |
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concerns; and be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to |
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. |
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LC01711 | |
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