Posted on May 15, 2024
Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, announced that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (San Pedro Ports) will receive more than $112 million through the FY 2024 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan for critical construction upgrades and operations and maintenance activities. The plan also includes $3.8 million for a Salton Sea feasibility study to address the significant public health and environmental challenges caused by the gradual receding of the lake, which have impacted disadvantaged communities surrounding the Salton Sea.
“The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach move 40 percent of the nation’s container imports, transporting the goods that power our economy,” said Senator Padilla. “I am glad to see the Army Corps heed my call to fund these crucial upgrades that will bolster global supply chains and make long overdue repairs to the ports. The work plan also includes a critical investment in developing a long-term plan to address the environmental and public health crises at the Salton Sea, which have devastated the surrounding communities for far too long.”
The infrastructure repairs for piers and wharfs at the San Pedro Ports will strengthen supply chain networks that the nation depends upon. The Port of Long Beach alone owns and maintains approximately 31 miles of waterfront facilities which will immediately benefit from these funds. The Port of Los Angeles estimates the total need for expanded uses, navigation maintenance, and repair projects at $6.7 billion. Pending projects at the Port include seismic safety upgrades, wharf and fender repairs, pile replacements, sediment removal and remediation, and improvements to slips and channels.
Additional funding highlights from the Army Corps FY 2024 work plan include:
- $7.74 million for the California Coastal Conservancy’s Resilient San Francisco Bay Pilot Project to place 100 percent of material dredged from Oakland and Richmond Inner Harbors in 2024 at beneficial use sites.
- $1.64 million for San Pablo Bay and Mare Island Strait, CA to perform preliminary channel assessments in order to maintain the Mare Island Strait’s authorized width and depth, and to ensure a safe and navigable waterway for current and future economic development of Mare Island and the City of Vallejo.
- $800,000 for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Wastewater Improvement Project to replace the outdated lagoon system, including completing the design for new lift stations, a new collection system, and a new sewer main.
- $750,000 for Westminster (East Garden Grove) Watershed, CA to initiate the preconstruction engineering and design phase to address flood risk for a 90-square-mile watershed, located in western Orange County, which lies on a flat coastal plain and is almost entirely urbanized with residential and commercial development.
Senator Padilla believes investing in clean energy projects and increased efficiency at ports like the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is vital for economic growth and environmental protection. He has consistently pushed for funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for California’s ports, including grants for the Port of Long Beach for over $283 million last year, a $30.1 million grant in 2022, and a $52.3 million grant in 2021. Last year, he announced $74.5 million in grant funding from the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration to decarbonize, upgrade, and rehabilitate key ports along California’s coast. In 2022, Padilla and the late Senator Feinstein applauded the $94 million in port infrastructure grant funding that came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Senator Padilla secured the first significant federal investment in California’s 10-year Salton Sea Management Plan (SSMP), which will utilize funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to bolster drought resiliency, protect important wildlife habitats, and accelerate dust suppression to protect air quality. Last year, he announced that the Department of the Interior awarded $72 million to restore the Salton Sea and to speed up the plan’s implementation. In 2022, Padilla worked to ensure that the Inflation Reduction Act included $4 billion for drought resiliency, including for projects to address historic drought impacting the Colorado River Basin and Salton Sea.
