BIG US ports appear confident the Trump White House will fulfill its plan to spend US$1 trillion on the country's infrastructure, reports IHS Media.
"We are just as confident as we were before," said Samara Ashley, director of government relations at the Port of Long Beach at a briefing for the House Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade and Security Caucus in Washington, DC. "Especially with this administration focusing a lot on infrastructure improvements and investments. I think we'll be positioned well," she said.
Said Port of New York and New Jersey spokeswoman Molly Campbell: "We're hearing there is a big push from this administration to invest in infrastructure. I'm not on the other side, but I'm hopeful that's the case."
Ms Campbell and spokesmen for Long Beach said they were optimistic that there will be even more federal funds for their ports in an expected infrastructure bill.
At Long Beach, the priority is rail support facilities. "Right now we are most in need of federal funding for our Pier B rail support facility, which is currently going through environmental permitting," said Long Beach Port director Duane Kenagy.
Mr Kenagy said the port has applied for a FASTLANE grant toward the $1 billion project to reconfigure, expand, and enhance the port's existing Pier B rail facility.
Neither Long Beach nor New York and New Jersey were listed in a leaked document detailing the White House's top 50 infrastructure picks obtained by the McClatchy News Service.
Ports with completed dredging done, Boston, Charleston, Port Everglades, Freeport, and Jacksonville, were not on the list. Savannah was the only container port listed.
Charleston, South Carolina, is planning to dredge its entrance channel from 47 to 54 feet and deepen 52 feet, making it the deepest harbour on the US east coast. It hopes work will start by December.
But that could be thrown off if $200 million in federal funding cannot be secured.
Said South Carolina Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham: "If the Port of Charleston doesn't get to 52 feet in the near future, in 2020-2021, the port is going to die."
