WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced that the West Calcasieu Port in Sulphur, LA will receive a $4.2 million grant from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to make the facility and the regional economy more resilient to natural disasters. The grant will be matched with $1.1 million in local investment and is expected to help create 400 jobs.
“The Trump Administration is working hard to fulfill its commitment to rebuild communities devastated by natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These improvements will boost the Port’s capacity to serve the critical maritime transportation needs in the region and to boost job growth in the local community.”
“The West Calcasieu Port is an important asset for maritime commerce and industrial activity in Southwest Louisiana,” said Congressman Higgins. “This investment will allow for expanded service capacity at the Port and greater economic prosperity for the surrounding communities. With significant industrial growth ongoing in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, local infrastructure improvements are a top priority.”
The project includes construction of a bulkhead and crane pad for loading and unloading barges at West Calcasieu Port. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Imperial Calcasieu Regional Planning and Development Commission (IMCAL). This project is funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, in which Congress appropriated to EDA $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance Program funds for disaster relief and recovery as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, wildfires, and other calendar year 2017 natural disasters under the Stafford Act.
