ANALYSIS
The Columbia River Channel Coalition had successfully built public consensus among the political and opinion leaders of the Pacific Northwest for an economically viable and environmentally sound plan to deepen and maintain the Columbia River channel from Portland to Astoria. The plan would accommodate larger ships and enhance trade and job opportunities for the people of the region. In 2004, while the channel project enjoyed bipartisan support and Congress had appropriated $10 million since 2001, it had never been included in a presidential budget, faced several key regulatory hurdles and needed $15 million from the federal government in FY’05 to finally get started.

ADVOCACY
Building on the effective work of the 240-member coalition, in December 2003 Gallatin went to work on a federal lobbying strategy to secure final administrative approvals and inclusion of $15 million in the president’s FY ’05 budget. Key strategic components included working closely with Northwest congressional leaders and governors — Democrat and Republican — to raise the project’s profile among multiple audiences within the administration, further positioning the project as a remedy to the region’s lagging economy, and recognizing the political opportunities presented by both Oregon’s and Washington’s being critical “battleground” states in the closely contested 2004 presidential election.

ADVANTAGE
In February 2004, the president included “justification language” — but no funding — for channel-deepening in the FY ’05 budget. In August of 2004, following final regulatory approvals, President Bush announced a budget request of $15 million for FY’05 at Terminal 6 at the Port of Portland. In November 2004, Congress appropriated $9 million to the channel project. This appropriation, along with matching funds from the states of Oregon and Washington, allowed the project to get under way in 2005.


“The Channel Coalition turned to Gallatin at a critical time in the history of the channel-deepening project, and they helped us achieve success through stepped-up advocacy with our congressional allies and the administration. Gallatin was an effective partner in helping us get the final approvals and key funding commitments to make a deeper Columbia River channel a reality for the Northwest and the nation.”
Dave Hunt, Executive Director
Columbia River Channel Coalition