{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356338", "Jaime Herrera Beutler Presses Coast Guard for Transparency and Answers on CRC Permits", "2013-10-24", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Jaime Herrera Beutler", "H001056", "herrerabeutler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler sent a letter to the Coast Guard today pressing them to provide information regarding the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) she had requested more than a month ago from the agency. \u00a0She also asked for a more detailed explanation of how the agency justified its permitting of a project that would block navigation on the river.\n\u00a0\nThe Coast Guard did send a response to Jaime\u2019s September 13 letter requesting this information, but not until after the close of business hours on September 27 \u2013 also after it had issued its approval of the CRC\u2019s permits. To date, the agency has only provided copies of hard copy external communication\n\u00a0\n\u201cThere are serious concerns throughout the region and here in Congress that the Coast Guard was improperly influenced to deviate from standard procedures to issue this permit \u2013 for a bridge that is too low and has not completed an environmental impact study that reflects the current design,\u201d Jaime states in the letter.\u00a0 \u201cYour cooperation in this matter is necessary in addressing those concerns and to provide the transparency taxpayers deserve.\u201d\u00a0 \n\u00a0\nThe text of Jaime\u2019s entire October 24 letter follows, and the original can be found by clicking here.\n\u00a0\nDear Commandant Papp,\n\u00a0\nThe Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project connecting Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon has been one of the largest points of concern and interest in the region for the last decade.\u00a0 Due to the serious gaps in the project\u2019s design and financing, and a lack of transparency demonstrated by its sponsors, skepticism is widespread among the local communities and federal officials who are expected to approve and pay for the CRC.\n\u00a0\nUnfortunately, the United States Coast Guard\u2019s (USCG) permitting process has now become yet another point of concern.\u00a0 I sent you a letter on September 13, 2013 raising multiple points of concern and critical questions, and requesting all of the USCG\u2019s internal and external communications regarding the CRC for the last six months.\u00a0 That letter is attached.\u00a0 It is extremely disappointing that the Coast Guard refused to respond to this inquiry until after it announced the approval of the bridge\u2019s permit on the afternoon of September 27, 2013.\u00a0 Even more concerning is the lack of clarity in answers to questions within the letter, and the absence of the requested communications.\u00a0 I understand the government shutdown may have caused a delay in compiling documentation.\u00a0 However, after waiting for more than a month my office has not received any of the internal communications requested.\u00a0 Project sponsors are pushing this project forward with great urgency, so your timely cooperation with my September 13 request is critical.\n\u00a0\nI respectfully ask that you address the following concerns and questions:\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In response to the request for internal and external communications, the Coast Guard offered only its hard copy external communication.\u00a0 The taxpayers who will be paying for this project deserver much better than that.\u00a0 Please provide us with all of the Coast Guard\u2019s internal and external communications over the last calendar year regarding the CRC \u2013 both hard copy and electronic (i.e., email).\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Coast Guard letter to Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler dated September 27, 2013 states, \u201cThe mitigation agreements entered into between Oregon and the impacted users do not mitigate the bridge\u2019s impact upon general navigation or affect the future use of the waterway by prospective tenants of the Columbia River Business Center.\u201d\u00a0 While the letter does go on to downplay the importance of river traffic, it does not adequately explain how the CRC failing to mitigate the bridge's impacts on current and future river users satisfies the USCG\u2019s duty to protect the \u201creasonable needs of navigation.\u201d\u00a0 Please expand on the process used to determine \u201creasonable need\u201d and how that process applies to the river traffic being impeded on the Columbia River.\n\u00a0\nThere are serious concerns both throughout the region and here in Congress that the Coast Guard was improperly influenced to deviate from standard procedures to issue this permit \u2013 for a bridge that is too low and has not completed an environmental impact study that reflects the current design.\u00a0 Your cooperation in this matter is necessary in addressing those concerns and to provide the transparency taxpayers deserve.\u00a0 \n\u00a0\nThank you for your attention to this important matter.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356338"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9870349895209074, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}