Testimony in Support of Ohio River Commission of Ohio — Jesse Roush, Southeastern Ohio Port Authority

Summary

Testimony by Jesse Roush, executive director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority (SeOPA), before the Ohio House of Representatives Economic and Workforce Development committee on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, in support of the H.B. to Create the Ohio River Commission of Ohio. Roush says the Maritime Assistance Program through ODOT, Ohio’s only specific maritime funding program, is currently structured in a way that excludes much of the Ohio River. The testimony says recent ODOT studies indicate well over half of Ohio’s maritime activity originates from the Ohio River and that Ohio ranks 8th among U.S. states for tons of cargo handled. It says the absence of an organized and official voice has resulted in legislation that disproportionately favors Lake Erie.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

      Testimony before the Ohio House of Representatives Economic and Workforce
     Development in support of H.B. 469 to Create the Ohio River Commission of Ohio
                           Jesse Roush, Southeastern Ohio Port Authority
                                        Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Representative Lorenz and Members of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee:
My name is Jesse Roush, and I am the executive director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority (SeOPA).
SeOPA is the lead economic development agency in Washington County, which boasts the most riverfront in all
of Ohio. Our county seat, Marietta, is well known as a quaint “little river town” and has received $9.4 million in
Appalachian Community Grant Program funds as part of the Ohio’s Wonderful Waterways Initiative. With 55
miles of access to the Ohio River, Washington County’s economy is intrinsically tied to this vital marine highway.
I am writing in support of the creation of the Ohio River Commission of Ohio (ORCO) as proposed by the
Honorable Monica Robb Blasdel and our very own Rep. Don Jones. Several years ago, a group of like-minded
colleagues representing the entire Ohio River Valley, from Hamilton to Columbiana County, began advocating
for the creation of the Ohio River Commission. Today, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue this
important conversation with the esteemed members of this committee.
In 2021, SeOPA began its due diligence for the acquisition of the AMP-Ohio Gorsuch Site, a 50-acre property
located on the Ohio River with the potential to become a true road-river-rail port facility. During this process, I
discovered that Ohio’s only specific maritime funding program, the Maritime Assistance Program through ODOT,
is currently structured in a way that excludes much of the Ohio River. The absence of an organized and official
voice, such as the proposed Ohio River Commission, has resulted in legislation that disproportionately favors
Lake Erie, stalling development opportunities along the Ohio River.
While Ohio may not traditionally be thought of as a maritime state, it ranks 8th among all 50 U.S. states for tons
of cargo handled. Ohio is, in fact, a maritime state. Presently, most attention to maritime activity is directed
toward Lake Erie. However, recent studies by ODOT indicate that well over half of Ohio’s maritime activity—
including cargo volumes, economic impact, and job creation—originates from the Ohio River. Despite the Ohio
River’s prominence, Ohio lacks a central agency to plan, coordinate, or advocate for the state’s maritime industry,
a gap that significantly hinders development along the river.
Advocates of ORCO and the Ohio River firmly believe that promoting the river represents a strategic economic
development initiative, and statewide coordination is both appropriate and necessary. The mighty Ohio River
provides Ohio with a significant competitive advantage in a highly competitive global marketplace. With proper
governance and coordination, the Ohio River has immense growth potential, which can further propel Ohio’s
economic success.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of the Ohio River Commission.



Jesse C. Roush, Executive Director
Southeastern Ohio Port Authority


File and source

File

2024-12-03_econ-workforce-dev_testimony_testimony-14089.pdf

Size

142,362 bytes

SHA-256

f0b034737543c12856c918d7c425ddcc03ea81e71e144b69b870f91fd653bb77

Our copy

2024-12-03_econ-workforce-dev_testimony_testimony-14089.pdf

Original

No public link identified.