Middletown Radio

WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, Governor John Carney, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) announced a $50 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation to Diamond State Port Corporation for the Port of Wilmington’s Edgemoor terminal expansion.

The PIDP is a discretionary grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port. The Edgemoor terminal expansion project plan includes constructing a container yard featuring all-electric operations and a new truck gate to provide new cargo capacity, enhance cargo resiliency, reduce emissions, improve safety, and provide capacity at the existing Port of Wilmington. The expansion project is on the former location of the Chemours titanium dioxide production facility, which was demolished and sold to the Diamond State Port Corporation in 2017.

“For decades, jobs at the Port of Wilmington have been a gateway into the middle class for thousands of workers and their families— the kind of jobs our state and country were built on. This successful grant from the Port Infrastructure Development Program will help make the planned Edgemoor expansion a reality and bring new good-paying, full-time union jobs to Wilmington and the region,” said Governor John Carney. “I want to thank Senator Carper, Senator Coons and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester for their support of the infrastructure law when it passed and for their advocacy for this project. I’d also like to thank President Biden for everything he is doing to build our economy and boost our workers with these big projects.”

Last year, Carper, Coons, and Blunt Rochester helped secure $9.2 million for operations and maintenance work on the Wilmington Harbor, including a new management plan to support the Port’s expansion to the Edgemoor terminal.

“The Port of Wilmington supports more than 19,000 jobs, and the Edgemoor terminal expansion will fuel considerable economic growth for Delaware and our region,” said Senator Carper, who as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, has been a diligent supporter of the port’s expansion and led the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passage through the Senate. “Edgemoor’s plans include improved safety and emissions, which is a win-win for the folks who work and live there. This major investment from the Department of Transportation is a giant step forward for the Port of Wilmington’s plans for the future, and it is essential to keeping our port competitive and supporting good paying-jobs in our region now and for generations to come.”

“As a member of the Appropriations Committee and a key negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I’m thrilled to see this incredible investment of federal funding coming to Delaware and the Port of Wilmington,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons “Since my time as County Executive, I have supported the Port of Wilmington and the workers who make it run. This expansion will create good-paying construction jobs and opportunities for the men and women of the International Longshoreman’s Association. I’m proud to have helped deliver these federal funds, which will remediate a legacy industrial site and enable the electrification of the port to make Edgemoor one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly ports in the country.”

“Investing in the people and places that drive America’s economic engine – including our ports – has been a top priority of President Biden since day one of his administration,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “I’m proud to join the Biden-Harris administration and Senators Carper and Coons in announcing this historic funding for the Port of Wilmington’s Edgemoor terminal expansion made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These federal dollars will expand the Port’s capacity to export and import more goods through our state all while reducing emissions, growing our economy, and creating good-paying jobs at the same time.”

“This federal grant for port expansion is great news for our maritime economy and thousands of Delaware families,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock, who also serves as chairman of the Diamond State Port Corporation. “This money will help Delaware finance the construction of a new terminal, which will create more high-quality, good-paying union jobs and protect existing jobs while investing in infrastructure that is part of a green economy. We are especially grateful to the Biden Administration and our congressional delegation for their support. The Port of Wilmington is a vital economic engine for Delaware, and this federal support will help make it stronger in the future. We will work with the Edgemoor community, the port operator, Enstructure, and our partners in organized labor to make sure we succeed.”

“Speaking for the over 43,000 AFL-CIO members and its construction sector, which is comprised of 24 unions with over 5,000 well-trained men and women, along with over 600 International LongShoreman (ILA) men and women, this is putting Delaware on the map as a shipping receiver and sender in the region,” said Jim Maravelias, president of the Delaware State AFL-CIO. “The expansion will create well-paying jobs for generations to come, and this monetary boost is exactly what Delaware needs at this moment in time.”

“On behalf of all the Delaware unions, I would like to thank President Biden, the federal and state delegation, for the grant to support our ongoing efforts to fund the Edgemoor project, while creating sustainable jobs,” said William B. Ashe, Jr. ILA Executive Council and president of ILA Local 1694. 

“This investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation further illustrates the deep commitment Senator Carper, Senator Coons, and Representative Blunt Rochester have to Delaware’s critical maritime infrastructure. As Port Wilmington’s operator, we are excited to continue working with the State of Delaware, Governor Carney, the Diamond State Port Corporation, the Delaware Building Trades, the International Longshoremen’s Association, and local communities to bring the Edgemoor development to life,” said Matthew Satnick and Philippe De Montigny, co-CEOs of Enstructure.