FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional Infrastructure Funding for Ports and Waterways
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional Infrastructure Funding for Ports and Waterways
March 29, 2022 | Whitehouse.gov (full link below)
The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing that it will invest more than $2.7 billion in funding to [300] Army Corps projects through the country focused on strengthening ports and waterways. The announcement follows the Biden Administration providing $14 billion from President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other appropriations to strengthen port and waterway supply chains and bolster climate resilience earlier this year. With today’s announcement, the Biden Administration will have invested a total of nearly $17 billion in new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and other supplemental appropriations in fiscal year 2022 and 2023 for over 800 projects across 55 states and territories.
These key projects will strengthen the nation’s supply chain, provide significant new economic opportunities nationwide, and bolster our defenses against climate change, including investments for:
- The Upper Ohio River, Pennsylvania to construct new lock chambers at Emsworth Locks and Dams that will allow large cargo ships to reliably and efficiently pass through the upper Ohio River system, relieving landside congestion and facilitating timely delivery of goods.
- The McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) which moves 12 million tons of agricultural commodities annually in commodities to American farmers and provides flood control to many communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma along the Mississippi River.
Additionally, the Infrastructure Law’s second year funding will be allocated to a number of priorities including:
- $649 million for the Aging Infrastructure Account for major repairs and rehabilitation of facilities;
- $85 million for the St. Mary Canal diversion and headworks replacement project, which will include a large fish bypass structure.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will initiate projects in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 that:
STRENGTHEN DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAINS
American ports and waterways are a cornerstone of the U.S. economy. According to the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure Report issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in 2018, America’s ports supported more than 30 million jobs and approximately 26% of our nation’s GDP. However, decades of neglect and underinvestment have strained their capacity and jeopardized supply chains.
Building on the work this Administration has done this past year to get goods flowing from ships to shelves faster, including $6.6 billion in funding announced through the fiscal year 2023 Budget, today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is committing $321 million through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand capacity at key ports and waterways to allow passage of larger vessels and further enhance the country’s ability to move goods. These waterside investments will compliment landside investments at our ports and across the goods movement chain such as the Port Infrastructure Development Grants announced in December. Specific projects announced today work to:
Move More Goods Faster at One of the Nation’s Fastest Growing Ports: Investing in ports helps to create resilient supply chains and create jobs. The Administration will invest more than $72 million to widen and deepen the Norfolk Harbor, Virginia Federal navigation channel to increase the resilience of our nation’s supply chain. The Norfolk Harbor, Virginia, project handles 67 percent more containers in 2021 than it did 10 years ago. Work will improve navigation and enable safer access for larger commercial and naval vessels, and provide significant new economic opportunities to the region.
The Biden Administration is also investing nearly $11 million in the Port of Galveston in Texas by deepening a portion of the Galveston Harbor Channel to accommodate larger vessels throughout the Port that will increase capacity, while also enabling improved operational safety.
Further, the $68 million investment to deepen the Brazos Island Harbor Channel at the Port of Brownsville in Texas will enable increased cargo movements, reduced transit times and improved operational safety.
Reduce Congestion on Inland Waterways. Investing in inland waterways creates and sustains jobs, relieves landside congestion, and provides more cost-effective transportation capacities. Recognizing the diverse benefits provided by investing in inland waterways, today, the Biden Administration is announcing it will invest an additional $77 million in the Upper Ohio River, Pennsylvania project to construct new lock chambers at Emsworth Locks and Dams that will allow large cargo ships to reliably and efficiently pass through the upper Ohio River system, relieving landside congestion and facilitating timely delivery of goods.
The Biden Administration is also investing $92.6 million in the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) which moves 12 million tons of agricultural commodities annually in commodities to American farmers and provides flood control to many communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma along the Mississippi River. The investment will upgrade the locks along the system to ensure that much needed commodities are being delivered quickly and efficiently.