White House Bows ‘Action Plan’ to Modernize US Ports

Though ports are a “cornerstone” of the U.S. economy, “outdated infrastructure” and the COVID-19 pandemic have strained their capacity and “jeopardized global supply chains,” said a White House fact sheet Tuesday on the Biden administration’s “action plan” to modernize U.S. ports and waterways. Only four U.S. ports are among the top 50 busiest in the world, “and no U.S. port is in the top 10,” it said. Underfunded U.S. port and waterway infrastructure “has real costs for our families, our economy, and our global competitiveness,” it said. “Immediate actions” to address the problem include supporting “creative solutions” to current supply chain disruptions by allowing for “flexibility in port grants,” it said. The administration also will launch programs to modernize ports and “marine highways” with more than $240 million in “grant funding” within the next 45 days, said the White House. The plan also will identify projects for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction at coastal ports and inland waterways within the next 60 days, it said. “This plan will provide a roadmap for more than $4 billion in funding to repair outdated infrastructure and to deepen harbors for larger cargo ships.” Within the next 90 days, the plan also will “prioritize key ports of entry for modernization and expansion,” identifying $3.4 billion in investments “to upgrade obsolete inspection facilities and allow more efficient international trade through the northern and southern borders,” it said.