BREAKING: Child drowned in Terrebonne
May 17, 2015
Jingles is more than just a pet
May 20, 2015
Changes in the political landscape and recent challenges created by industry responses to low oil prices all have potential effects for Terrebonne Parish’s port.
But Port of Terrebonne director David Rabalais is optimistic that his agency can overcome the hurdles and continue to grow in service to the parish’s marine industry sector.
Three major issues confront the port. One is growth overall – which Rabalais says is coming along, especially since two federal agencies, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are moving into their new homes.
“I see growth in the port and it is going to continue to grow,” Rabalais said. “The times we are in now show it is not growing as fast but as oil prices recover, it will.”
A desire to have the Houma Navigational Canal deepened to 20 feet from its present 14, which will require authorization from federal agencies, is a long way from fulfillment, though attempts continue.
The departure of a long-time port supporter from Congress, former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, is arguably a setback of sorts. But Rabalais says he is working closely with newly elected Sen. Bill Cassidy’s staffers.
“Sen. Cassidy is already familiar with port issues, from the time he served in [the U.S. House],” Rabalais said.
The addition of state Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, to the Louisiana delegation is a plus, the port director said, because as the state’s former coastal guru, Graves is already familiar with the agency’s needs.
“The port is working with his office to get them familiarized with the issues,” Rabalais said.
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, Rabalais said, is and has been a competent supporter of port efforts to grow and prosper.
“We are seeing a slow climb in the price of oil, at least it isn’t going down anymore,” Rabalais said of the petroleum price’s connection to the port’s future. “It’s a good sign that it bottomed out.”
Congressional assistance is key to aspects of the port’s growth. Appropriations bills that chart the nation’s fiscal path contain approvals for channel dredging, and the priorities for those.
“We are trying to keep the HNC dredged to a depth of 15 feet,” Rabalais said of the canal, which is essential for vessels that travel through the port.
The placement of the port on the nation’s priority list, actualized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is determined in large part by the volume of tonnage that passes through.
Terrebonne has an ace in the hole in that regard, a determination made after investigation by Rabalais and his staff that the Port of Terrebonne – unlike many other ports – consists not only of the campus where its buildings and docks are located, but every single industrial dock and landing within the confines of the parish.
Rabalais has engaged in a non-stop effort to educate mariners and ship owners that the tonnage of the cargo they carry through the parish must be properly logged so Terrebonne’s true place in the nation’s port rankings can be noted.
Under the new formulas that Rabalais helped apply to the port, it ranks 86th in the nation so far as cargo is concerned.
At the state level Rabalais said the port has a friend in state Sen. Norby Chabert, who is said to have a strong grasp on port issues and has helped use his influence to bolster port projects.
“You would think knowing what we know about the maritime industry that the rest of the state would understand how important port infrastructure is,” Chabert has said of the entity.
His multi-modal transportation bill, signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal in April, has made special provisions for involvement of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development in port matters, clearing the way for red tape to be cut.
“Our economic promise is only met when we focus on the fact that if we cannot navigate our waterways and effectively coordinate our multimodal transportation system, Louisiana has no economy,” Chabert said.
Rabalais said state Rep. Gordon Dove, who is term-limiting out and now running for the office of Terrebonne Parish president, has also been helpful on the state end.
The Terrebonne Port Commission’s 680-acre site is located on Industrial Boulevard in Houma, abutting the Houma Navigational Canal one-half mile from its intersection with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Rabalais said efforts of both state and federal lawmakers have been key to the port’s success at this point, and will be to its future.
“We are grateful for the help of all of them,” he said. “Our delegations, state and federal, are second to none.”
Entrance to Port of Terrebonne on Industrial Boulevard in Houma. New tenants for the port include agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
