NWSA Co-Chair Addresses US Senators on Port Infrastructure Funding

By Karen Robes Meeks

Port of Tacoma commission president and Northwest Seaport Alliance co-chair John McCarthy recently came before the Transportation and Safety Subcommittee of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He urged senators to support more funding for the Port Intermodal Improvement Program, freight formula funds, INFRA and doing away with the multimodal funding cap.

McCarthy’ spoke of the NWSA’s significant role in cargo movement and employment, adding that “nearly 60% of our imports move beyond the region and our exports originate from all 50 states. As the number-two U.S. agricultural port, we are an essential partner to our nation’s farmers.”

“Rapid advancements in freight are driving ports to make significant changes,” he added. “For example, a tripling of the container capacity of ships in the last decade requires billions of dollars in new investment. And improving our port system requires that we also focus outside seaport gates across the U.S. freight networks. Bottlenecks and the cost of fixing them is often beyond the means of the communities where projects are located.”