05-29-2003 Bayport Expansion Review Committee Meeting

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.. e e standards through its environmental management system (EMS) at the Barbours Cut Terminal and the Central Maintenance Facility. . The PHA's design for the Bayport facility includes several .' mitigations f0r environmental impacts. For example, the use of clean fuel and clean engine technology will help reduce air emissions. The PHA also has committed to help fund several local transportation projects in the Bayport area in an effort to increase the safety a~d efficiency of the local transportation network while reducing congestion and air pollution. A three-mile long buffer zone around the facility will include a landscaped sight and sound berm that will be 20 feet tall. The buffer zone also includes part of an extensive stormwater collection system that will protect Galveston Bay. Lighting systems designed to use black light poles and specially designed fixtures will limit night-time impacts. The PHA's Bayport plan also involves jurisdictional wetland replacement at a ratio of more than three to one to increase the habitats available for fish, waterfowl and other coastal wildlife. Furthermore, the beneficial use of dredged material will create an additional 200 acres of inter-tidal marsh. "The Port Authority has drawn on expertise developed in other ports around the world to make the proposed Bayport facility environmentally sound," stated Chairman Edmonds. "We will continue to review our development plans as new environmental technologies and techniques evolve." . . Edmonds added, "The Port Authority will continue to work to address all public concerns and issues regarding the proposed facility, setting a new standard in the maritime industry for environmental stewardship and community friendliness. The Port Authority wants.to be a good neighbor and will work as hard as we can to meet that goal." . u.S. Congressman Gene Green commented, "Having represented the port area for many years in Austin and Washington, D.C., I know the port makes continuous efforts to be a good neighbor. We have witnessed it protect the environment with projects such as the widening and deepening of the Houston Ship Channel. This FEIS shows that the Bayport project will be planned and constructed with the same level of environmental and civic commitment. I have been a long-time supporter of the Port of Houston, and I readily support the Bayport'terminal." U.S. Senator John Cornyn remarked, "The positive results outlined in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' FEIS on the Port Authority's proposed Bayport project are welcome news. I'm confident that the Bayport project will help create jobs and stimulate the economy not only in Houston, but throughout the region." Built out in p~ases over 15 to 20 years to meet market demand, the Bayport complex will have enough space 'for seven ships and a 378-acre container storage yard. It will have a maximum capacity of about 1.4 million containers -- a 200 percent increase over the Port Authority's current container handling capacity. The facility is expected to create approximately 39,000 jobs and contribute approximately $1.6 billion to the Texas economy through wages and tax revenues. In anticipation of the FEIS and a construction permit, the PHA ha~ been advertising for and receiving RFQs and proposals over the past several months in an effort to save time and money when construction is authorized. The entire bidding and contracting process can take six to eight months from the time bids are submitted, evaluated by staff, reviewed by commissioners and then awarded. Following the granting of a permit, the PHA estimates that as many as 16 contracts totaling more . than $180 million will be awarded during the first part of the Bayport project. More than half of that amount is expected to be Small Business Development Program-eligible contracts, and can result in as much as 35 percent participation by qualified small businesses. 5/19/2003 Page 20f9