Bloomberg - Westerners Pushing Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding For Ports

Two Western lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to prioritize seaports, signaling a bipartisan push to get infrastructure funds to the waterside after Covid-19 illustrated supply chain vulnerabilities.

Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Randy Weber (R-Texas) sought changes from the Environmental Protection Agency as it implements the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act infrastructure law, in a letter first obtained by Bloomberg Government. The co-chairmen of the Congressional PORTS Caucus pressed EPA to set flexible completion deadlines for clean energy projects, allow more spending on charging infrastructure, and ensure funds make their way to the waterfront. 

The letter highlights a nationwide scramble for the billions of dollars the Inflation Reduction Act authorized. While Congress is currently divided, the bipartisan effort on IRA implementation signals that lawmakers are sometimes still willing to work together to influence the implementation of laws.

Weber is one of many Republicans trying to ensure their districts benefit from the climate change legislation they opposed two years ago. The $3 billion Clean Ports Program, authorized by the IRA, doles out funds for projects like zero-emission port equipment and air quality planning.

Garcia and Weber made the case to the EPA that while inland ports tied to rail or highways can get other sources of funding, money for modernizing seaports is largely oversubscribed. Ports across the nation are expected to compete for the pot of money as the administration rolls it out.

The IRA funding could be a boon for either lawmaker’s district. Garcia represents the Port of Long Beach, the second-largest seaport in the country, and waterway shipping, including the ports of Beaumont and Freeport, is key to the local economy in Weber’s Gulf Coast district.

“This initiative is crucial for a clean future, particularly for communities like Long Beach, and I am grateful for the bipartisan support in addressing this urgent issue,” Garcia said in a statement. Weber said the pair’s “commonsense recommendations” would allow the Clean Ports Program to work “as effectively as possible for our various port communities.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Maeve Sheehey in Washington at msheehey@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: George Cahlink at gcahlink@bloombergindustry.com; Bennett Roth at broth@bgov.com