Long Beach Press-Telegram: Another View: President Biden is delivering for America’s ports and frontline communities

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson

President Joe Biden will deliver his fourth State of the Union address on Thursday evening, March 7, and as mayor of Long Beach, I can say first-hand that he has delivered on his commitments to America’s economy and front-line communities.

Thanks to Biden’s “Investing in America Agenda” – including historic legislation such as the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act – we’ve seen the federal government deliver for port communities, both nationwide and here locally in Long Beach.

Last year, Biden said at his last State of the Union address that “to maintain the strongest economy in the world, we also need the best infrastructure in the world.” Since that speech one year ago, Long Beach has seen nearly $900 million in direct investments from the federal government. These dollars will create good-paying union jobs, reinforce local infrastructure, strengthen supply chains and help build a clean energy economy for our future.

The Port of Long Beach received several historic investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that are growing our local economy in a more robust and sustainable direction. Last year, the port announced a landmark $283 million mega grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build America’s “Green Gateway.” This will help build the port’s new Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which will make the port the first in the nation to move 35% of its cargo by rail, speeding up our national supply chain while easing truck congestion, creating jobs and improving air quality.

California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems , or ARCHES, a statewide partnership that the Port of Long Beach helped form to accelerate renewable hydrogen projects, also received $1.2 billion. ARCHES will be a transformative project for the national goods movement industry, advancing the use of clean hydrogen fuel in the logistics sector and further reducing emissions from heavy-duty trucking and port operations.

The port also received $30 million to implement the energy conversion of 60 yard tractors from fossil fuel to electric power, and to build the charging infrastructure to support this transition. This project is a major step toward achieving our goal of 100% zero-emissions cargo handling by 2030. Together, these investments have helped the Port of Long Beach reclaim its position as the nation’s second busiest container port.

Major port projects aren’t the only priorities to receive significant funding from the Biden administration. One of the most important community-based projects funded is the Shoreline Drive Gateway project, a $30 million investment to realign Shoreline Drive and add 5.5 new acres of open space to Cesar Chavez Park along the LA River. This was the second largest grant issued from the federal Reconnecting Communities Program, which aims to improve mobility and expand open space for communities that lack access to these essential amenities.

And it’s just as important to connect our communities with stable internet access. For nearly 50,000 low-income households in our city, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Affordable Connectivity Program provided $30 each month to pay their internet bill. Before this program, more than 32,000 of these households had either limited or no internet access.

Read the original op-ed here.