Harbor board extends state cooperative agreement to 2028 to fund Calcasieu Ship Channel maintenance

The Charles Harbor and Sherman Oaks District board on March 25 authorized the executive director to amend a cooperative endeavor agreement (CEA) with the State to continue funding maintenance of the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

Staff told the board that the public-private partnership currently is funded with $5,000,000 from the State, $2.5 million from the Port and $2.5 million from industry. The original CEA was signed in 2020 for a four-year term; the approved amendment extends it for another four years so it will now expire in 2028.

According to staff, the arrangement covers the nonfederal sponsor portion needed to ensure the channel is maintained at its proper depth. Staff said the district and state representatives met and were in agreement on the amendment before the board vote. The board approved the item by voice vote after a motion and second.

The extension keeps the existing cost-sharing structure in place and preserves the Port’s role as nonfederal sponsor for the channel’s ongoing maintenance. Staff did not provide additional implementation milestones at the meeting; the amendment’s new expiration date is 2028 and next procedural steps will follow administrative processing by staff.