What Are They Reading in the States: President Biden Invests More Than $650 Million to Fund Ports, Improve U.S. Supply Chain

Today, President Biden and his Department of Transportation announced funding for 41 ports nationwide from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and his Investing in America agenda. The investment will help speed up the movement of goods, lower costs and create good-paying jobs – fulfilling key pillars of his Bidenomics agenda.

Delaware Public Media: The Port of Wilmington receives $50 million in federal funding
[Quinn Kirpatrick, 11/3/23]

A long planned Port of Wilmington expansion project receives a $50 million federal boost from the Port Infrastructure Development Program, a grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Delaware Business Now: Port of Wilmington expansion to DuPont-Chemours site gets $50 million in federal funding
[Staff, 11/3/23]

Government officials announced a $50 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to Diamond State Port Corporation for the Port of Wilmington's Edgemoor terminal expansion. The PIDP is a discretionary grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration. Funds are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port.

WDEL (101.7 FM WDEL): Major federal grant announced for the Port of Wilmington
[Mike Phillips, 11/3/23]

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Maritime Administration announced on Friday, November 3, 2023, that the Port of Wilmington will be getting a $50-million grant.

The Daily Record: Port of Baltimore among recipients of $653M in grants from Biden administration
[Staff, 11/3/23]

The Transportation Department on Friday awarded $653 million in grants to upgrade and improve 41 water-based ports across the United States, including the Port of Baltimore. The grants are part of the $1 trillion in infrastructure investments included in a bipartisan law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. Biden administration officials said the projects being supported will allow ports to meet greater shipping demands as well as lowering costs for consumers and improving worker safety. The Biden administration funding includes $47 million for berth and upland improvements to accommodate heavy project cargoes near the Port of Baltimore.

South Coast Today/The Standard Times: New Bedford's Leonard's Wharf getting $24 million in federal funds for reconstruction
[Frank Mulligan, 11/3/23]

The New Bedford Port Authority has been awarded $24 million to reconstruct and extend Leonard's Wharf under the federal Port Infrastructure Development Program… Sen. Markey, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said, "This investment will bolster New Bedford's leadership in bringing home the fish that fills our plates and, soon enough, the offshore wind energy that lights our homes and turbocharges our clean energy revolution. I thank the Biden administration for this federal funding, and I am proud to have worked with the federal delegation, Gov. Healey, Mayor Mitchell, and local leaders to help position the wind at the Whaling City's back as it enters a new phase in its historic national leadership."

WPRI (CBS New Bedford, MA): New Bedford, Quonset land federal grants for port upgrades
[Ted Nesi, 11/3/23]

The U.S. Transportation Department on Friday announced new federal awards for select ports nationwide, and one of the big winners was New Bedford. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Port of New Bedford would receive $24.4 million to rebuild and expand Leonard's Wharf, which officials say will help the port withstand rising sea levels and also benefit the offshore wind industry.

Workboat: Port Panama City awarded $11.25 million infrastructure development grant
[Ken Hocke, 11/3/23]

The East Terminal Expansion Project will create 337 jobs, $30 million in personal income and local consumption and $2.7 million in state and local taxes. This will enable the port to add to the 11,000 jobs currently supported, $1.6 billion economic impact, and over two million tons of cargo handled annually. Port Panama City invested $66 million on the first phase of The East Terminal, which began operations in 2020. The expansion included the construction of a 260,000 sq. ft. warehouse, improved road and rail development, a modern bulkhead, and the deepening of the east channel and turning basin. With the successful completion of phase one, the port is now embarking on the second phase of development of the East Terminal.

KWXX (101.5 FM Kona): U.S. DOT Awards $23.46 Million For Port Of Kawaihae Improvements
[Staff, 11/3/23]

The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration awarded a $23.46 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant to the Hawai'i Department of Transportation (HDOT) for improvements to the Port of Kawaihae.

WRAL (NBC Raleigh, NC): Port of Wilmington lands $11M federal grant for gate relocation
[Staff, 11/3/23]

The N.C. State Ports Authority will receive almost $11 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to move the Port of Wilmington's North Gate farther away from surrounding neighborhoods.
The money, from USDOT, is a part of its Port Infrastructure Development Program and will fund 38% of the port's North Gate Relocation and Access Optimization project.

WDJT (CBS Milwaukee, WI): Federal funding to go towards phase 2 of construction at Port Milwaukee
[Staff, 11/3/23]

Federal funding in the amount of $653 million will go towards 41 port infrastructure projects across the country, including one in Milwaukee. The Biden administration announced the funding Friday, Nov. 3. More than $9 million will fund phase two of construction at Port Milwaukee's Agricultural Maritime Export Facility on Jones Island.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Port Milwaukee to get $9.3 million from U.S. Department of Transportation for upgrades
[Ricardo Torres, 11/3/23]

Port Milwaukee is getting a significant amount of funding from the federal government to make some upgrades. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration announced the port is getting nearly $9.3 million from the Port Infrastructure Development Program to construct two grain storage silos, make electrical upgrades and fund the purchase of additional grain and cargo handling equipment to expand the capacity of the port to handle the movement of grain commodities.

Milwaukee Business Times: Port Milwaukee gets $9.3 million grant for improvements at new maritime export facility
[Ashley Smart, 11/3/23]

Port Milwaukee is the recipient of a $9.27 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration which will allow for several upgrades to the port's recently opened agriculture maritime export facility. P

Providence Business Journal: Port of Davisville to build 'ro-ro' ship loading ramp with $3.8M federal grant
[Mary Serreze, 11/3/23]

The South Kingstown facility is one of 41 port projects across the U.S. that will share in $653 million awarded under the Port Infrastructure Development Program, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation announced Friday. The port improvement program is run by the DOT's Maritime Administration, or MARAD.

Portland Press Herald: Portland gets $14 million to upgrade shipping port
[Staff, 11/3/23]

Portland is receiving $14 million to upgrade its capacity to handle refrigerated cargo – a key development for the future of the city's international shipping business. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday a $14 million grant from the Biden administration's $17 billion Investing in America fund for the International Marine Terminal on Commercial Street. The money will be used to increase the number of electrical outlets needed to power refrigerated containers that pass through the port facility, as well as the construction of storage racks, new lighting and other improvements.

WYTV (ABC Youngstown, OH): Biden administration investing $653M in ports to improve supply chains, keep costs down
[Staff, 11/3/23]

The Biden administration announced Friday morning that it is investing more than $653 million to fund port projects with the goal of improving U.S. supply chain reliability. The projects through the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration will focus on 41 ports nationwide, including at the ports in Long Beach, Calif.; Milwaukee; and Newark, N.J. The funding comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law, which included nearly $17 billion overall in funding for ports and waterways.