[20170215]IF10455_港口加深：联邦研究和建设项目.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated February 15, 2017Harbor Deepening: Federal Studies and Construction ProjectsDeep-draft coastal harbors handle a large volume of U.S. imports and exports. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is responsible for improving and maintaining federal navigation channels. An issue for Congress is that demand for the Corps to deepen harbors outpaces what the agency delivers at recent funding levels. Demand for Deeper Harbors The potential for more goods to be transported by larger vessels has led many ports and communities on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico to pursue Corps harbor-deepening projects. Several ports on the U.S. West Coast already have depths of more than 50 feet (ft). Some West Coast harbors are naturally deep; they typically require less effort to create and maintain their channels than other harbors. Following the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2016, larger vessels with deeper drafts (i.e., up to 50 ft) are able to transit the canal under normal operating conditions. The expanded canal provides a route for deeper-draft vessels to move between Asia and U.S. harbors on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Questions remai