Expect more maintenance and repair projects along the Los Angeles and Long Beach waterfront in the future.
The Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports announced May 14 that they’re receiving a combined $112 million as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan.
The funds stem from the Harbor Maintenance Tax, which the federal government collects from all U.S. ports “based on the value of imports, some domestic cargo and on cruise passengers” to pay for port-related dredging projects, according to the Port of Long Beach.
Los Angeles and Long Beach officials and others have long fought for more of the Harbor Maintenance Tax revenue, in which a small collection of seaports, such as L.A. and Long Beach, provide half of the revenue but only receive about 3% of that money for their dredging projects.
“We have long pushed for a fair share of Harbor Maintenance Tax funding to ports like ours, which traditionally have contributed more to the fund than they received,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said.
The Port of Los Angeles announced May 14 that it’s receiving $58 million this year, compared to the $6 million it received last year.
“Addressing this disparity has taken years,” Los Angeles Harbor Commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “We are grateful to all our supporters in the maritime community and Congress, and especially Rep. Grace Napolitano.”
Through her role on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Napolitano championed the cause of allocating funds more equitably for critical harbor maintenance and repairs, Roybal-Allard said.
