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9. What recommendations would you make to improve the current regulatory process? 

 Is there a need to streamline or improve communication between the various 

 agencies involved in the process? Is there a need to better define the roles of the 

 various agencies involved in the permitting process? 



Answer: See Answer to Question 2, Questions of the Honorable Solomon Ortiz. 



10. Has the regulatory process had a negative impact on the economic potential of 

 harbors? In other words, with delayed dredging due to problems associated with the 

 permitting process, what has been the long-term economic impact of this; if any? 



Answer: Regulatory permit delays result in immeasurable unrecoverable costs, as well 



as missed commercial opportunities for ports and their communities, as well 

 as for the nation. Our nation's intermodal transportation system is only as 

 efficient as its most constrained part. If harbors are not dredged to meet the 

 needs of shipping, we are not making efficient use of commercial 

 opportunities they provide. Too few people understand that a federal 

 navigation project is approved by Congress only if it is determined that it is 

 in the national interest . Therefore, every time a federal channel or its access 

 channels are not dredged it is the national interest that suffers along with the 

 direct local and regional impact on jobs and other economic benefits. 



11. Do you feel that sediments for ocean disposal must meet higher standards than their 

 land-based counterparts? Are the testing and standards for land-based disposal 

 comparable to that required for ocean disposal? 



Answer: See Answer to Question 4, Questions of the Honorable Solomon Ortiz. 



12. Is the port authority involved in the development of alternative technologies for the 

 disposal of contaminated dredge material? If so, could you expand on this? 



Answer: This question appears specifically directed at the Port Authority of New York 



and New Jersey which also testified at the hearing. On a national level, the 

 AAPA with the support of the environmental community supported language 

 in WRDA '92 that would have established a national demonstration program 

 for decontamination technology. Unfortunately, because of objections to the 

 cost of the program by the previous Administration that program was scaled 

 back to on a demonstration project in the New York/New Jersey area. 



It is our understanding that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 

 has strongly supported the development of a decontamination technology 

 program. In addition, they have worked with Rutgers University to fund a 

 series of decontamination technology workshops. 



