Murray wrote a letter of support for the project and secured funding for grant program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and government funding bills
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $54,233,330 in federal funding for the Northwest Seaport Alliance for part one of the Port of Tacoma Husky Terminal Expansion project. The funding comes from the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). Last Congress Senator Murray secured significant funding for PIDP through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—which she helped pass as Assistant Majority Leader—and through annual government funding bills which she helped author as a senior appropriator. The Husky Terminal is one of the busiest container terminals in the Pacific Northwest region, and provides services for vital industries throughout the region, including the agricultural sector.
“The Port of Tacoma is a juggernaut for economic activity in the Pacific Northwest, supporting over 42,000 jobs and generating nearly $3 billion in economic activity each year. When we invest in our ports, we are investing in a stronger economy for Washington state,” said Senator Murray. “There is no question that making the Port safer and more efficient will pay huge dividends—and that’s what the funding I helped secure will accomplish.”
“I want to thank Senator Murray for her work to fund this critical program for our gateway as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. This award will enable us to begin a series of critical improvements at Husky Terminal in our South Harbor to enhance our gateway’s ability to compete,” stated Commissioner Deanna Keller, Co-Chair with The Northwest Seaport Alliance. “By densifying the terminal and expanding its refrigerated cargo capacity, we will be able to help Washington agricultural exporters increase their volume in international markets and improve service for importers. Additionally, I’d like to thank the Washington Delegation for supporting this grant recognizing the important role The Northwest Seaport Alliance plays in promoting economic vitality across our state.”
The terminal expansion project at Port of Tacoma will reconfigure the yard for better truck circulation and add capacity and optimize container storage through the demolition of unnecessary infrastructure and installation of additional storage racks. The project will also install upgraded power infrastructure to prepare for the electrification of cargo handling equipment. This grant will fund efforts to improve cargo throughput and enable the Port to accommodate future growth. Additionally, by moving away from diesel-powered cargo handling equipment, this project will help reduce greenhouses gas emissions in and around the Port, including in neighboring communities, many of which are historically disadvantaged.
The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. Funds for the grant program 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. PIDP grants support efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs and ensure our port infrastructure can meet anticipated growth in freight volumes. The PIDP provides funding to ports in both urban and rural areas for planning and capital projects. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriated $450 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program, and Senator Murray helped secure an additional $212,203,512 for the program in the FY23 omnibus government funding bill, resulting in a total of $662,203,512 in FY23 grant funding for the program.
Senator Murray’s letter of support for this project is HERE.
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