10.28.22

Port of Swinomish to Receive $11 Million Boost to Maritime Economy, Cantwell Announces

Funds will be used to complete boat ramp construction project and upgrade commercial pier

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell announced that the Port of Swinomish will receive an $11,073,627 federal grant for the port’s boat ramp replacement project and commercial pier upgrades. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

According to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, this PIDP grant will be used to complete their boat ramp construction project which consists of four components:

  1. Development of a port master plan that evaluates the existing infrastructure, assesses the community’s needs for port facilities and services, identifies a range of proposed infrastructure solutions to meet those needs, and conducts preliminary engineering and design work for priority projects.
  2. Design and construction of a boat ramp.
  3. Completion of design and engineering for upgrades to a commercial pier.
  4. Replacement of a mooring float. The boat ramp and mooring float will be constructed on Tribal lands.

“This $11 million grant to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community will fund infrastructure planning, engineering, and design work needed to grow the port while improving climate resilience to reduce the impacts of sea level rise and other climate impacts. The Port is critical to the regional economy, strengthening our supply chain as well as creating jobs for fishing and maritime related businesses. The grant will also fund construction of a boat ramp and other improvements on Tribal lands to support recreational boating and fishing,” Sen. Cantwell said.

The award was one of five PIDP grants awarded to ports in the State of Washington totaling $71.4 million.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell worked to include a record $2.25 billion for the program in the Biden-Harris Infrastructure Law. In September 2021, Sen. Cantwell led a letter calling to boost funding for the PIDP program to help address the ongoing issues with port congestion.

Sen. Cantwell has consistently championed and coauthored the 2019 legislation that reauthorized MARAD and the PIDP grant program. Sen. Cantwell is currently fighting to reauthorize MARAD and the PIDP grant program in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Most recently, the MARAD and PIDP were reauthorized in the 2021 National Defense Reauthorization Act, a provision authored by Sen. Cantwell.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, port congestion significantly impacted Washington state residents. Ships carrying perishables have been held up, sometimes for weeks, causing produce to rot in their containers, resulting in huge losses and reduced food supply. Along with securing more PIDP funding, Sen. Cantwell was instrumental in passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act to strengthen maritime supply chains and protect Washington farmers and exporters from shipping companies’ unfair practices.