{"id":3006,"date":"2021-09-09T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/?p=3006"},"modified":"2021-09-21T12:36:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T17:36:50","slug":"anchorage-daily-news-our-ports-need-investment-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/09\/anchorage-daily-news-our-ports-need-investment-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Anchorage Daily News: Our Ports Need Investment Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"htmlBody article_div\">\n<figure class=\"picture\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aapw01.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/09\/046.jpg\" alt=\"carl uchytil\" \/><figcaption><em>Carl Uchytil<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"picture\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aapw01.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/09\/046-01.jpg\" alt=\"chris connor\" \/><br \/>\n<em>Chris Connor<\/em><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"picture\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aapw01.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/09\/046-02.jpg\" alt=\"mario cordero\" \/><br \/>\n<em>Mario Cordero<\/em><\/figure>\n<div class=\"byline\">By <span class=\"author-name\">Carl Uchytil<\/span>, Port Director, Port of Juneau<br \/>\n<span class=\"author-name\">Chris Connor<\/span>, President &amp; CEO, AAPA<br \/>\n<span class=\"author-name\">Mario Cordero<\/span>, Executive Director, Port of Long Beach; Chairman, AAPA<\/div>\n<aside><\/aside>\n<aside class=\"sidebar shortSidebar\"><em>On August 10, the U.S. Senate passed an important $1.3 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. During the process, AAPA members and staff were actively engaged with lawmakers to ensure that ports would be well represented in the final bill. AAPA also identified Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) as key targets for engagement, working successfully in placing an Op-Ed in each of those representatives\u2019 states. The Op-Eds were tailored for local audiences and focused on the need for port infrastructure funding and the economic impacts of increased investment. (Excerpts from the Alaska Op-Ed are reprinted below.) During a speech<br \/>\non the Senate floor about the legislation, Senator Murkowski listed the Op-Ed among her reasons for supporting the bill. See the video here: https:\/\/bit.ly\/MurkowskiPORTS. To read the Op-Ed from the Baton Rouge Advocate by Port of South Louisiana Executive Director Paul Aucoin, follow this link: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/MurkowskiPORTS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/bit.ly\/MurkowskiPORTS<\/a> <span style=\"font-size: inherit\">or visit the <\/span><a style=\"font-size: inherit\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seaportsmag-digital.com\/aapq\/0321_third_quarter_2021\/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&amp;folio=46#pg46\">digital version of Seaports<\/a><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span class=\"dropCap\" style=\"font-size: inherit\">A<\/span><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">laska, which receives 90% of its freight through maritime commerce and with more coastline than the entire Lower 48 combined, would stand to benefit from a thoughtfully crafted federal infrastructure package supporting ports and harbors. Alaska is ready to invest in projects which will advance its competitive standing and better serve its interests regionally and internationally.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Serving major Department of Defense installations and more than 80% of the state\u2019s population from Anchorage to Fairbanks, the Port of Alaska (POA) in Anchorage modernization requires excess of $800 million. Alaska is home to 17 of the top 100 US commercial fishing ports, and federal funding would be a boon to municipal small boat harbors, as state funding opportunities are chaotic and have waned significantly due to fiscal constraints.<\/p>\n<p>Tourism is the largest private industry in Southeast Alaska, with the vast majority arriving via cruise ship. The first electrified cruise ship dock in the world was commissioned in 2001 in Juneau, and ports are planning for more dock electrification. Leveraging private and federal funding will enable ports-of-call to update facilities to develop Alaska cruise destinations that are environmentally sustainable and set the bar for other world ports to follow.<\/p>\n<p>American consumers, retailers and farmers nationwide are feeling the impact of a global supply chain under severe strain. Everything from refrigerators to bikes are taking longer to reach our shores from overseas manufacturers, and domestic companies are running short of components and raw materials to keep up with demand. In addition to a global container shortage and the effects of the pandemic, many of today\u2019s delays and shortages are the consequence of decades of underinvestment in maritime infrastructure \u2013 playing out in warehouses, storefronts and households in real time.<\/p>\n<p>While the current disruptions will lessen over time, global trade volumes are forecast to increase, leaving U.S. ports in need of significant and sustained investment now to ensure the nation\u2019s freight gateways are modern, resilient and competitive at a global scale.<\/p>\n<p>For a sizable first step in upgrading our trade infrastructure, Congress should pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which is slated to include $16.5 billion for ports and waterways. This infusion of federal dollars will also unlock private financing and preserve the U.S. port industry\u2019s position as a major job-creator and economic powerhouse. This Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is one on which everyone agrees \u2013 businesses and labor, retailers and manufacturers, truckers and shippers \u2013 that port infrastructure is essential hard infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Maritime ports create $5.4 trillion in economic activity annually, representing 26% of U.S. GDP. Ports are also responsible for 30.8 million direct, induced, and indirect jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Ports are vital to the nation\u2019s global trade. They connect U.S. farmers and manufacturers to world markets and provide critical medical and consumer supplies for health care providers, retailers and households every day. Efficient ports help America compete as nations across the globe build larger ships and bigger, better facilities to accommodate them.<\/p>\n<p>America needs a 21st-century freight movement system, and our country has an opportunity to invest now and realize exponential returns. Every dollar invested in port infrastructure produces $2 to $3 of economic growth, based on an analysis by the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the reality is that America\u2019s ports need repairs, improvements and updates. Freight volumes may double by 2045, according to the Department of Transportation, leaving our maritime infrastructure in danger of lagging behind countries like China in terms of our ability to handle more ships and efficiently move freight and materials.<\/p>\n<p>To support our nation\u2019s coastal ports and maritime industry, The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework will be a great first steps towards the overall requests of the port industry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$20 billion for coastal port infrastructure and intermodal freight movement connectors.<\/li>\n<li>$6 billion for the U.S. Army Corps to repair and restore navigation channels and 140 critically deficient coastal navigation structures that are essential for safe and efficient freight movement.<\/li>\n<li>Billions of dollars to support offshore wind energy. These funds are critical to strengthen docks for storage, assembly, and transport of offshore wind energy components.<\/li>\n<li>Robust funding for electrification of dockside ship connections and zero\/near-zero emission port equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes, it\u2019s real money, but the stakes are high. As we recover from a crippling pandemic, we can\u2019t afford a widening infrastructure gap with our competitors. Further disruption will only continue to hurt the American economy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carl Uchytil Chris Connor Mario Cordero By Carl Uchytil, Port Director, Port of Juneau Chris Connor, President &amp; CEO, AAPA Mario Cordero, Executive Director, Port of Long Beach; Chairman, AAPA On August 10, the U.S. Senate passed an important $1.3 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. During the process, AAPA members and staff were actively engaged with &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":3019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436,69,9],"tags":[89,616,882,881,880,773,243,62,883,229,879,76,398,771,63,95,87,158,711],"class_list":["post-3006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-ports-politics","category-seaports-magazine","tag-aapa","tag-aapa-seaports","tag-anchorage-daily-news","tag-baton-rouge-advocate","tag-bipartisan-infrastructure-package","tag-carl-uchytil","tag-chris-connor","tag-mario-cordero","tag-maritime-ports","tag-paul-aucoin","tag-port-director","tag-port-infrastructure","tag-port-of-alaska","tag-port-of-juneau","tag-port-of-long-beach","tag-port-of-south-louisiana","tag-ports","tag-seaports","tag-western-hemisphere-ports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}