Ports Update: POLB Welcomes New Survey Director, Design Contract Awarded, Cargo Connections Strengthened, Addition of Finance Director, and EPA Grants Unveiled

Port Survey Director Appointed to NOAA Advisory Committee:

LONG BEACH — Port of Long Beach Director of Survey Kimberley Holtz has been appointed to the Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a federal advisory committee for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The panel advises NOAA on the agency’s underwater surveying and charting programs, as well as the nation’s navigational safety needs. The committee’s work supports NOAA products and services for maintaining a safe and viable marine transportation system and managing U.S. oceans, coasts, lakes and waterways. Holtz is serving a four-year term that extends through Jan. 1, 2028.

Port Awards Design Contract for On-Site Field Support Office:

LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach has awarded the contract to design its new On-Site Field Support Office to Long Beach-based Environ Architecture Inc. The 15,300-square-foot facility will provide a permanent base of operations in the heart of the Harbor District for field staff from the construction inspection section and survey division of the port’s engineering services bureau. The building will also house other port staff, including wharfingers of the tenant services division, and provide office space for Long Beach Fire Department inspectors. The contract is capped at $2.97 million and extends through Dec. 31, 2028, the year in which the structure is expected to be completed. The overall project budget is estimated at $30 million to $32 million.

Making New Cargo Connections

LONG BEACH — Over the past two decades, the Port of Long Beach has completed 10 major projects valued at more than $500 million to modernize its rail network for speeding cargo in and out of the port. Four more projects are in design or under construction, including major segments of the centerpiece of the port’s new rail infrastructure, the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility. As the port looks to break ground this summer on the first phase of Pier B, Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway have moved forward with their own projects to enhance freight rail service in the Southwest and the intercontinental

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Cargo-connections

EPA Announces Grant Opportunities for Ports: Federal investment in U.S. Ports continues.

NATIONAL — In recent weeks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced two competitive grant opportunities totaling nearly $3 billion. The lion’s share, $2.8 billion, is for funding zero-emissions technology deployment at ports. Another $150 million is for climate and air quality planning. Separately, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has made $450 million available in the government’s 2024 fiscal budget to fund the Port Infrastructure Development Program or PIDP. Also competitive, PIDP grants support critical infrastructure projects that strengthen the safety, efficiency or reliability of moving goods through ports and their intermodal connections.

Finance Director Named Alternate to Two Boards:

LONG BEACH —Port Managing Director of finance and administration Sam Joumblat has been appointed as the Port of Long Beach’s alternate to the governing board of two key regional rail authorities: the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority or ACTA and the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility – Joint Powers Authority or ICTF-JPA. Each position has a five-year term. ACTA is the intergovernmental agency that manages the rail expressway connecting the San Pedro Bay ports to downtown Los Angeles and the intercontinental rail network. The ICTF is a near-dock rail yard operated by Union Pacific Railroad that handles intermodal cargo between the San Pedro Bay ports and destinations throughout the U.S. Joumblat replaces former port executive Duane Kenagy, who served as the port’s alternate on both boards before he retired in February.