On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced an additional $234.4 million, for a total of $684.3 million in grants, would be available for Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grants.
The funding, part of the FY 2022 Appropriations Act, represents the most money appropriated for the PIDP in history and will help improve supply chains and speed up the safe, efficient and reliable movement of goods, MARAD said. Awarded through a competitive process, the grants will be given to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port, officials said.
“Under President Biden’s leadership, we are making a once-in-a-generation investment in our ports and intermodal infrastructure to move goods faster, strengthen supply chain resiliency, support economic vitality at both the national and regional levels, and address climate change and environmental justice impacts,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.
The money will be given to projects that support the movement of goods to, through, and around coastal seaports, inland river ports, and Great Lakes ports. Additionally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded the list of eligible projects to explicitly include projects that reduce or eliminate pollutants or greenhouse gas emissions at ports.
Applications for grants are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on May 16. Eligibility requirements, and information on eligible projects, are described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity on the MARAD website.