Oregon's ports are not only important to the state, they are important to the United States.
Think back to the pandemic. At the time, dozens of container ships had to wait in port off the West Coast, and Americans across the country were feeling the effects.
Fertilizer, furniture, electronics, clothing, automobiles, agricultural products, and lumber are just a few of the many goods that travel through Oregon's 23 small coastal public ports to the shelves of businesses and stores around the world every day. This is the department.
Our ports are also home to commercial fishermen, crabbers, recreational operators, seafood processors, and marina operators, not to mention thousands of workers from local communities. Ports also provide critical infrastructure for disaster response and recovery, ensuring first responders and emergency supplies get quickly to where they are needed.
That's why I've worked hard to bring federal dollars home to maintain and upgrade our ports for generations to come. Especially small ports that have been too overlooked, like the $20 million she set aside for workforce development for small shipyards. These investments will help make our ports safer and more efficient and support better-paying local jobs.
In Clatsop County, the Port of Astoria received more than $26 million in federal aid for critical repairs at Pier 2 West, a major hub for seafood processing and commerce.
In Coos County, the Coquille Indian Tribe received $7.7 million to repair and expand the pier and install shore power outlet boxes on the pier so people don't have to rely on idling diesel engines. And in Lincoln County, the Port of Newport received $3.8 million to build more lay and storage space, increase security and repair docks and pilings at the Newport International Terminal.
Tillamook County's Garibaldi Port received $62 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act to make critical repairs to its beleaguered south pier, but more funding is needed to ensure safe access to and from the port. is necessary. And I just secured an additional $748,000 in community-driven projects to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue dredging federal navigation waterways. We will continue to seek funding to complete repairs to the pier to ensure its safety and economic security.
We also secured $720,000 for another one of these critical projects to continue critical maintenance dredging of the Coos Bay Port for safe navigation.
There is still work to be done for our ports. I will continue to fight for a transformative container port project in Coos Bay that will be a game-changer for our region and our nation. Targeted investments like this in Oregon's small ports and large shipyards provide a tremendous return on investment for the state's economy.
Jeff Merkley (D) is a U.S. senator from Oregon. He can be reached through his Eugene office at 541-465-6750.
