(The Center Square) – Georgia will receive more than $ 14 million in federal aid to support operations in the port of Brunswick, officials said.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it would provide the Georgia Ports Authority with $ 14.6 million for the expansion of the Atlantic port.
“This is exactly the kind of strategic, targeted investment that will alleviate the supply chain crisis in our ports and help Georgia maintain its status as a world-class shipping line leader,” said US MP Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga. who campaigned for funding.
The money was provided through the Appropriations Act 2021, which was signed by former President Donald Trump. A fourth roll-on / roll-off (ro-ro) berth will be built at the port’s Colonel Island Terminal to increase capacity.
According to the DOT announcement, the port of Braunschweig is the second largest ro-ro freight port in the country. The upgrade would allow the port to accommodate larger vehicle transport ships with more than 7,000 units.
Georgia’s ports account for 11% of the state’s total revenue, or $ 122 billion, in fiscal 2019, according to the Georgia Ports Authority. They contributed $ 1.7 billion in state taxes, $ 1.7 billion in local taxes and $ 6.1 billion in federal taxes, the agency said. The ports also contributed 8%, or $ 51 billion, to the state’s gross domestic product and 6%, or $ 29 billion, to the state’s personal income.
Carter wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in June asking him to approve the Brunswick Harbor grant for jobs. “
“Taxpayers’ dollars should benefit taxpayers,” Carter said. “This grant will create generations of high-paying, in-demand jobs that will continue to draw companies, people and workers to Georgia First District.”
By Nyamekye Daniel | The central place
