Protecting Texas by Reducing and Preventing Pollution

Port of Houston Authority, P.O. Box 2562, Galveston, Texas 77252-2562, has applied to the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a certification to develop a major marine terminal complex on approximately 1, 043 acres, along the
south side of the Bayport Ship Channel. This development would include facilities for docking, loading and unloading container and cruise
ships, container storage areas, an intermodal yard, warehousing facilities, and properties available for light-industrial development. A total of
18.3 acres of jurisdictional wetlands exists within the project site. The applicant has revised their project plans to reduce the number of
proposed cruise berths from five to three. This revision results in a reduction in the amount of area proposed to be dredged by 23.0 acres,
a reduction in the amount of open water proposed to be filled by 21.3 acres and a reduction in the amount of dredged material proposed to
be placed off-site by 1,045,965 cubic yards. Under this revision, 18.3 acres of jurisdictional wetlands would be filled, 127.3 acres of open
water would be dredged, and 3.1 acres of open water would be filled. In addition, the applicant has revised the proposed wetland mitigation
plan to include the creation of 66.8 acres of emergent wetlands, enhancement of 12.0 acres of existing wetlands, preservation of 23.7 acres
of forested/scrub habitat, and restoration of 71.0 acres of coastal prairie habitat. The entire mitigation site would ultimately be placed under