The Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it will award $662 million in grant funding to fix up the nation’s port infrastructure, but only if those ports advance ESG-style goals such as “equity,” “environmental justice” and serving underserved communities.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America’s ports “play a central role in our supply chains” and that the grant funding will help ensure that battered U.S. supply chains are strengthened and the U.S. is positioned for “economic success.” Most of the funding announced was made available through the $1 trillion infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
But decisions to release these grants, which will be distributed under the department’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), will also depend on other factors that have nothing to do with unclogging supply chains and moving goods efficiently to customers.