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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

President Joe Biden pledges $147 million for ‘clean’ Port of Baltimore equipment, makes city symbol of infrastructure aid

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a reception in celebration of Diwali at the White House on Oct. 28, 2024, in Washington, D.C.   (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS)
By Jeff Barker The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden, continuing to make Baltimore a symbol of his administration’s push to upgrade aging infrastructure, will pledge $147 million in grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Port of Baltimore.

According to the White House, Biden, in a visit Tuesday afternoon to the Dundalk Marine Terminal, will announce that the Maryland Port Administration will receive $145 million in Environmental Protection Agency grants to purchase zero-emission cargo handling and other equipment, and new heavy-duty transport trucks and locomotives It said the port will also receive $2 million to help it “chart a path to greater emissions reductions in the future.”

The infusion of money is expected to ultimately lead to 2,000 jobs as the projects occur over the next three to four years, according to administration estimates.

The aid is part of a $3 billion investment in ports nationally that was part of the Inflation Reduction Act signed by Biden in 2022. It is aimed at reducing pollution for port workers and surrounding communities, and creating union jobs.

Biden has made Baltimore a symbol of his push to upgrade ports, roads, bridges, transit systems and broadband.

In 2021, the Democratic president toured the port to celebrate passage of infrastructure improvement legislation that came as American ports, particularly along the West Coast, experienced jams that spurred price jumps for many products as the nation recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.

More recently, Biden visited Baltimore following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that killed six construction workers and halted activity at the Port of Baltimore in March.

He pledged then that his administration would help clear the channel — that was completed in June — and secure full federal funding for the bridge replacement.

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