Washington, D.C.—Yesterday, Congressman Cloud issued a statement regarding the $157,263,000 secured for the completion of Corpus Christi’s Ship Channel Improvement Project.

Work has been underway for Phases 2 and 3 of the four-phase Ship Channel Improvement Project. The Army Corps of Engineers’ request included in the Biden administration’s budget proposal will fiscally close the federal government’s share of responsibility, ensuring that the project could be completed in 2023. 

“Investing in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project is an investment into our national security, and that of our allies,” Congressman Cloud said. “As the nation’s leading energy port, this project will allow for increased LNG exports to Europe, allowing them to be less reliant on Russia. The expansion of the port has been a top priority since I was first elected, and I am excited to see that the completion is in sight.”

In total, the project is valued at $681 million, with the federal government covering $406 million. Since assuming office in 2018, Congressman Cloud has advocated for the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project in various ways in order for it to receive the full share of federal funding. His actions include: 

• Highlighting the importance of the project to President Trump on an Air Force One flight;
• Sending a letter to OMB in 2018 asking that they update the project’s cost-benefit ratio to make it eligible for funding;
• Regular calls and letters to the Army Corps of Engineers and OMB advocating for the project’s funding;
• Annual requests to the House Appropriations Committee in support of funding for the Port of Corpus Christi; and
• A request in the 2020 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that would adjust the cost estimate of the project, ensuring that it remained eligible for funding. 

Following the Air Force One flight with President Trump in 2018, funding was requested and secured for the Port of Corpus Christi—with the exception being President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. 

The Port of Corpus Christi and the area around it have received over $55 billion in private industrial investments over the past five years, demonstrating the promising future for the Coastal Bend Region. Completion of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project will make the channel the deepest and widest in the entire U.S. Gulf. 

The Port of Corpus Christi is the largest port in the United States in total revenue tonnage. It is the leading energy port and will help export more LNG to our allies. In 2021, LNG exports reached 15.7 million tons, and this number will continue to grow with the Department of Energy recently approving 2 million tons of LNG shipments from the Cheniere facility. 

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