News

Monday, CEO’s of leading industry signed a letter to President Trump – See here: Letters to the President of the United States of America: Leading Energy Companies Urge Pres. Trump to Support Port Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project

Another important letter is reaching Washington D.C. leadership regarding ports funding.  Download the Ports Caucus Letter to Leadership Regarding Funding Seaports Infrastructure – or see the text below.

January 31, 2018

The Honorable Paul D. Ryan
Speaker
House of Representatives
H-232t U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Bill Shuster
Chairman
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 2251
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader
House of Representatives
H-204t U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Peter DeFazio
Ranking Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
2164 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader Pelosi, Chairman Shuster, and Ranking Member Defazio:

As Congress and the Administration consider options to invest in our country’s infrastructure, we urge you to consider the unique multimodal and waterside needs of America’s ports in this discussion.

Our national supply chain begins at ports. Therefore, we hope any infrastructure package will include the necessary funding for our nation’s seaports. It is paramount that we provide our ports with the resources they need to both maintain and improve their infrastructure and the national freight network.

In recent years, Congress has shown its willingness to support port-related infrastructure projects. In 2015, the FAST Act was signed into law, which included dedicated programs for freight infrastructure projects and asked states to develop freight plans. In addition, the WRRDA bill of 2014 put us on a path for full use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) resources. While these laws represent major steps forward, they alone will not modernize our multimodal goods­movement network. Of the $11 billion authorized in the FAST Act for freight investment, only $1.13 billion is eligible for multimodal projects needed at ports. This amount has dwindled to $275 million after several rounds of FASTLane and INFRA grants. Ports need a multimodal funding source to sustain investments in our critical freight infrastructure.

The American Association of Port Authorities has identified $66 billion in infrastructure needs for federal investment at our seaports to improve the flow of cargo as it heads to its final destination. These investments, both on land and in the water, will help alleviate congestion in crowded metropolitan areas, hasten the adoption of low or zero-emissions freight technology, and make U.S. seaports more competitive. Multimodal infrastructure funding for seaports and freight gateways, as well as full use of the HMTF with provisions to ensure donor equity will build upon our ports’ successful efforts to maximize the impact of federal infrastructure funds with state, local, and private-sector resources.

Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to reach out to us to discuss infrastructure needs at United States ports.

Sincerely,

Alan S. Lowenthal, Co-Chair, PORTS Caucus

Ted Poe, Co-Chair, PORTS Caucus

Donald M. Payne, Jr., Member of Congress

A. Donald McEachin, Member of Congress

Brian Babin, Member of Congress

Scott Taylor, Member of Congress

Jack Bergman, Member of Congress

Cedric L. Richmond, Member of Congress

Denny Heck, Member of Congress

Filemon Vela, Member of Congress

Suzanne Bonamici, Member of Congress

Julia Brownley, Member of Congress

Bruce Poliquin, Member of Congress

Nanette Diaz Barragan, Member of Congress

Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, Member of Congress

Jared Huffman, Member of Congress

Mark Takano, Member of Congress

Derek Kilmer, Member of Congress

Carol Shea-Porter, Member of Congress

Randy Weber, Member of Congress

Norma J. Torres, Member of Congress

Robert J. Wittman, Member of Congress

Jerrold Nadler, Member of Congress

John Culberson, Member of Congress

Chellie Pingree, Member of Congress

Stephen F. Lynch, Member of Congress

Blake Farenthold, Member of Congress

Albio Sires, Member of Congress

William R. Keating, Member of Congress

Alcee L. Hastings, Member of Congress

Richard M. Nolan, Member of Congress

John Garamendi, Member of Congress

Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Member of Congress

Bob Gibbs, Member of Congress

Gene Green, Member of Congress

Barbara Lee, Member of Congress

Ports Caucus Letter to Leadership Regarding Funding Seaports Infrastructure – Click for PDF Download