Prith+&+Eric

Obama has expedited approval for projects, but not allocated funds – aff is still inherent, but you don’t have any DA’s.
__The White House ... //focus just on expediting all remaining federal reviews//.”__
 * Morgan and Rabin 7/19** – Miami Herald reporter, environment reporter (Curtis and Charles, “White House Speeds Up Permits, Offers No New Cash For PortMiami Dredge Project”, The Miami Herald, July 21 2012, [] )//CB


 * The Panama Canal expansion will fundamentally change seaborne commerce – US ports require __new harbor deepening__ or they won’t be able to compete for post-Panamax ships**
 * Bridges 2011 –**Chairman of the Board of the American Association of Port Authorities and Executive Director of Virginia Port Authority (Jerry A., “Testimony of Jerry A. Bridges Chairman of the Board of the American Association of Port Authorities and Executive Director of Virginia Port Authority before the United States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hearing: the Economic importance of Seaports: Is the United States Prepared for 21st Century Trade Realities?”, October 26, 2011, [| http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/TestimonyWater/2011-10-26%20Bridges.pdf)//MM]

Since the birth of our nation… infrastructure, including landside and waterside access to seaports. We cannot wait. ¶
 * Scenario 1 is economy-**


 * Federal port infrastructure funding is increasing but not substantially for __new__ harbor deepening – the federal government’s __uncertain commitment__ prevents new projects** ** ¶ ** Szakonyi 12 — associate editor of the Journal of Commerce (Mark, “The Hill Ramping Up Dredging Efforts”, Journal of Commerce, 5/7, ProQuest) EL

__The push by U.S. ports …__ short-term fixes over harder, more meaningful long-term decisions. ¶ **¶**


 * The perception of a federal commitment to port infrastructure is vital to __retain foreign customers__ – this will collapse the recovery**
 * Calhoun 11**-- President of Cargo Carriers (Cargill) and Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc (Rick, “DREDGING FOR PROSPERITY”, Marine Log, August, ProQuest, []”) EL

Just like the nation itself, __our maritime ...__ transportation system. __ ¶ __ ¶

Economic decline triggers nuclear war Harris and Burrows 9 (Mathew, PhD European History at Cambridge, counselor in the National Intelligence Council (NIC) and Jennifer, member of the NIC’s Long Range Analysis Unit “Revisiting the Future: Geopolitical Effects of the Financial Crisis” [], AM)

Increased Potential for Global … in a more dog-eat-dog world. ¶ ¶ **Scenario 2 is competitiveness-**

…of coastal states. ¶ ¶
 * Expanding port infrastructure is vital to US global economic leadership**
 * Kiefer et al, 2k** – principal investigator for Planning and Management Consultants– study authorized by Section 401 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999, report to the US Army Corps of Engineers (Jack, Planning and Management Consultants, “The National Dredging Needs Study of Ports and Harbors Implications to Cost-Sharing of Federal Deep Draft Navigation Projects Due to Changes in the Maritime Industry”, May 2000, [] ) // CB

[Michael, The Case for Goliath: How America Acts As the World’s Government in the Twenty-First Century, p. 192-195]
 * Economic leadership prevents economic collapse—leadership key to resilience**
 * Mandelbaum**, **5** – Professor and Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins – 2005

Although the spread of nuclear weapons, … __resemble a fleet of cars without gasoline.____ ¶ __

[Michael, The Case for Goliath: How America Acts As the World’s Government in the Twenty-First Century, p. 224]
 * That goes nuclear without leadership**
 * Mandelbaum, 5** – Professor and Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins – 2005

At best, an American withdrawal ... __large numbers, of nuclear weapons__. ¶

1ac LNG

 * Contention 2 - LNG**

The Panama Canal expansion means the US will try to export liquid natural gas to Europe

 * __ Eaton, 2012 __** – reporter for the Houston Business Journal (Collin, “Economists differ on Panama Canal expansion's impact “, Houston Business Journal, May 29 2012, []) // MGD

This requires increasing US harbor deepening to be successful

 * Ebinger et al. 12** -- Task Force Co-Chair of Brookings Institution Natural Gas Task Force("Evaluating the Prospects for Increased Exports of Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States", January, p. 15, Brookings, www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2012/1/natural%20gas%20ebinger/natural_gas_ebinger_2.pdf)//GP

The successful export of … vital to ending European gas dependence on Russia

 * Hulbert, 5/26** – a Lead Analyst at European Energy Review and consultant to a number of governments, most recently as Senior Research Fellow, Netherlands Institute for International Relations (Clingendael), was previously Senior Research Fellow at ETH Zurich working on energy and political risk. He started work in the City of London, advising on energy markets and political risk, as Senior Energy Analyst at Datamonitor for leading global utilities, and headed up the Global Issues Desk at Control Risks Group, specializing in political risk, geopolitics and security analysis for multinational companies, governments and institutional investors. He was also seconded to work in Washington, D.C., to enhance CRG's political risk offerings in North America. (Matthew, “Why American Natural Gas Will Change The World”, Forbes, **5/26/12**, []

__Europe will watch the ... to frack in its own backyard.____ ¶ __

Russia’s monopoly on natural gas threatens Eurasian security and pro-democracy efforts

 * Baran, 7 -** senior fellow and director of the Center for Eurasian Policy at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. **(** Zenyo, “ EU Energy Security: Time to End Russian Leverage,” THE WASHINGTON QUARTERLY AUTUMN 2007, [] )

__The lack of reliable and sustainable European access to energy represents a **…** trafﬁcking in Central Asia and the Caucasus would increase.____ ¶ __


 * That Causes Eurasian instability**
 * Asmus, 8** - Executive Director of the Transatlantic Center at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, in Brussels, From 1997 to 2000, he served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Ronald, “ Europe's Eastern Promise; Rethinking NATO and EU Enlargement,” Foreign Affairs. New York: Jan/Feb 2008. [] ) IN THE early 1990S, after the Iron Curtain lifted,

Western leaders seized a historic opportunity to open the doors of NATO and the EuropeanUnion (EU)to post communist central and eastern Europe. __By consolidating democracy and ensuring stability …**, nationalist Russia is on the rise.**__**__ ¶ __**


 * That results in Nuclear War**
 * Mcdermott 11** - specializes in Russian and Central Asian defense and security issues and is a Senior Fellow in Eurasian Military Studies, The Jamestown Foundation, Washington DC, Senior International Research Fellow for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Affiliated Senior Analyst, Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen. McDermott is on the editorial board of Central Asia and the Caucasus and the scientific board of the Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies. He recently wrote The Reform of Russia’s Conventional Armed Forces: Problems, Challenges and Policy Implications (Roger, “General Makarov Highlights the “Risk” of Nuclear Conflict”, 12/6/11, The Jamestown Foundation, []

In the current election season the __Russian__ ... __than the old dogs of the Cold War would wish **to chew** on.____ ¶ ¶ __

1ac – plan

 * The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in expedited port deepening projects in the United States.**

1ac – solvency

 * Contention 3 – solvency**


 * The plan will allow the US to double exports in the next 5 years**
 * USA Today 11** – news agency (Larry Copeland, “A goal to be port of call for all; U.S. sites digging in to accommodate big ships,” USA Today, October 3, 2011, lexis)//CB It's just before noon on a recent weekday, and the nation's fastest-growing container shipping port is bustling with activity. Massive, 10-story-high cranes, each shaped like an upside down "U," lift tractor-trailer-size containers onto and off cargo ships at dockside. A station checking for radioactivity in containers leaving the port clicks right along, while a non-stop stream of trucks enters and leaves the 1,200-acre facility. The freight moving through here touches the lives of people in 15 states, some 44% of the nation's population.

__Even more critically, as the USA …at can accommodate their ships. This will keep us very competitive."__ __ ¶ __


 * The federal government is key – port infrastructure is under __federal jurisdiction__ and federal action is vital to __leadership__ **
 * AAPA, 11** - AAPA represents 160 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports (American Association of Port Authorities, “The U.S. Government’s Historic Role in Developing and Maintaining Landside and Waterside Connections to Seaports”, March 2011, []

Over time these constitutional responsibilities … global competitiveness, be recognized and prioritized. ¶


 * Federal leadership is vital to expediting new projects and coordinating federal agencies – it creates faster infrastructure development**
 * Woodley Jr. 8**— Chairman – PIANC (Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses) USA (John Paul, “Dredging key to keeping nation’s economy afloat”, Seaports Magazine, [], Summer) EL

Like many nations, __the United ...g for generations to come.____ ¶ __


 * Federal regulations mean any new projects will take __decades__ unless the federal government expedites construction**
 * Nagle, 2012** - President and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities (Kurt J., “Testimony of Kurt J. Nagle President and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities Before the United States House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subommittee”, Budget Hearing- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Assistant Secretary, Chief of Engineers, March 7, 2012, [|http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/PDFs/EWTestimony%20Mar2012%20Final.pdf)//MM]

First, the funding level of the Corps of … meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.


 * Federal regulations __prevent__ other actors from solving – only federal action to streamline the process and increase funding solves**
 * Anderson, 11** –Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) (A. Paul, “testimony of A. Paul Anderson Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) for the Record of the united States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment Hearing: “The Economic Importance of Seaports: Is the United States Prepared for 21st Century Trade Realities?””, October 26, 2011, [| http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/TestimonyWater/2011-10-26%20Anderson.pdf)//MM]

With increasingly larger ships calling … infrastructure projects is //fundamentally broken//.