TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Port Tampa Bay on Tuesday where he announced a $12.6 million grant for the construction of a new berth at the Port Redwing facility.
What You Need To Know
- Pete Buttigieg visited Port Tampa Bay where he announced a $12.6 million grant for the construction of a new berth at the Port Redwing facility
- The announcement was made during Buttigieg’s stop on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Building a Better America Tour
- The project would create a 3,000-foot space for much larger cargo boats to load and unload, along with adding an estimated 800 new jobs
The announcement was made during Buttigieg’s stop on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Building a Better America Tour.
The project will create a 3,000-foot space for much larger cargo vessels to load and unload at the port’s satellite facility.
It’s one of just two selected nationwide to receive grant funding through the bipartisan infrastructure law passed late last year.
Buttigieg says the project was selected for the highly competitive nationwide grant because it addresses lingering supply chain issues.
“The projects that stand out the most are the ones that are going to have lots of benefits on urgent issues,” he said. “Obviously, supply chains are in the news a lot and a big focus of our department. And part of the way we have better supply chains is to expand the capacity of our ports.”
Officials estimate that the project will also create 800 full-time jobs and reduce emissions by allowing trucks to drop off and pick up goods more efficiently.
“Think about what it takes just to get a container from ship to shelf,” said Buttigieg. “If it has to move many times around the grounds of a port, if a truck has to take it back and forth before it can get onto a train…
“All of that is contributing to poor air quality and pollution. We can cut that through better methods of moving goods around.”
He discussed other initiatives he’s pushing as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law — parts of which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has criticized as “the woke-ification of federal policy.”
“All we are saying is if a road or a highway is segregating or separating a community, we ought to do something to fix it,” said Buttigieg, referring to the Reconnecting Communities Program, which aims to address equity by funding projects to help neighborhoods affected by highway development. “I do not understand why anybody would be against fixing that. And you know, anytime there’s a hot controversial culture war, the governor is there. I don’t remember him ever calling about getting more dollars for this port like we’re doing today.”
Buttigieg’s visit to Tampa isn’t supported by those on the right.
The Republican National Committee released a statement in response to Buttigieg’s visit — part of which accused Buttigieg of not doing enough to alleviate the problems at the nation’s ports when they were backed up several months ago.
