Port Authorities, Maritime Activity Foundational to Wisconsin’s Economy – In Good Times and Bad

The global pandemic has affected every facet of life and work in 2020, and the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 has made the work of Wisconsin’s commercial ports all the more essential. 27 million metric tons of cargo are moved through Wisconsin’s ports each year. The maritime economy supports 7,484 jobs, creates $1.4 billion in economic activity, and induces $240 million in federal, state and local taxes annually in Wisconsin. Thriving port authorities and harbors with healthy shipping and ongoing access to modern infrastructure deliver results: high employment, robust domestic commerce, international trade, and a resilient economy in Wisconsin.

The importance of shipping and the maritime economy in Wisconsin was made clearer in 2020. In April 2020, the U.S. Navy awarded a shipbuilding contract worth over $5.5 billion to Fincantieri in Marinette; Wisconsin’s shipbuilding industry has supported thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact in statewide over decades. Interlake Steamship, a leader on the Great Lakes since its founding in 1913, made historic investments in Wisconsin this year. The keel for Interlake’s newest vessel, the Mark W. Barker,was laid in Wisconsin this year. This is the first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier built in more than 25 years. Interlake’s acquisition of both the historic S.S. Badger ferry and the articulated Undaunted/Pere Marquette commercial tug/barge further highlighted Wisconsin’s maritime economy in 2020. In Milwaukee, the Port received one of the first grants nationwide from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), which will partially fund a new $35 million shipping terminal for the worldwide export of Wisconsin agricultural commodities.

While much progress has been made to improve Wisconsin’s deep-draft commercial ports and recreational harbors in recent years, challenges remain. The American Association of Port Authority (AAPA) estimates that commercial port performance was down 15% nationwide related to the COVID-19 economic recession. Historic high waters on the Great Lakes caused damaged to port infrastructure and eroded lakefront in 2020; increasingly extreme weather is causing ongoing harm to critical infrastructure. Renewed focus on maritime coastal resiliency is needed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to fund a new Soo Lock, the infrastructure backbone of the Great Lakes shipping economy, and ongoing programmatic support from the State of Wisconsin is necessary to derive statewide economic benefits from this important federal project. Across the state, Wisconsin’s commercial ports and harbors require millions of dollars to address long-delayed preventative maintenance projects and multimodal transportation infrastructure repairs. Increasing Harbor Assistance Program (HAP) funding at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to at least $60 million will immediately fund multiple, shovel-ready projects in the State and provide a needed support following COVID-19.

From La Crosse and Prairie Du Chien to Washburn, Bayfield and Bell to Green Bay, Manitowoc and Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s commercial ports are hubs of economic and recreational activity. Wisconsin’s essential transportation employees worked steadily through pandemic conditions to keep shipping activity robust in 2020. They will continue to do so in the years ahead. The future productivity of Wisconsin’s growers and manufacturers depend on modern transportation infrastructure, and ports are an integral part of the supply chain. Continued leadership from local and State officials will prove decisive in sustaining Wisconsin’s billion dollar shipping industry and realizing new maritime economic opportunities across the State.