Sec. 4(D) Examination of Port of Galveston/Texas Deepwater Port Authority

The Deepwater Port Act of 1974(Act) provides in Section 4(d) that any state port which has plans for construction of a deep draft channel and harbor may petition the Secretary of Transportation for a determination as to whether such deep draft channel project would better serve the national interest than would a deepwater port built off the coast of and connected by pipeline to the State, or that both developments are warranted. The Secretary may not issue a license for a deepwater port until he has made such a determination based on an examination and comparison of the economic, social and environmental effects of the construction and operation of the two projects. This document makes such a comparison between the Texas Deepwater Port Authority (TDPA) proposed deepwater port and the Port of Galveston, Texas channel deepening project.