Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) helped secure a $454,436 grant through the Department of Transportation’s United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP) to support Columbia River barge service on Marine Highway 84 (M-84).
With the funding, Tidewater Barge Lines will acquire a low emissions container handler to help divert an estimated 3,800 containers of municipal solid waste from highways to M-84. The efforts would help mitigate growing highway and rail congestion between Vancouver, Washington and Boardman, Oregon. In August, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez wrote to the Department of Transportation in support of the project.
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez visited Tidewater Barge Lines last year with then-White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to celebrate a federal grant for an electric dock crane.
“Moving solid waste efficiently and affordably to an appropriate disposal site upriver isn’t the sexiest topic or something most folks think about each day – but it’s an essential service our communities rely on,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “By bringing this funding home for a new container handler, we’re supporting the nuts and bolts of local maritime services and equipping the hardworking heroes at our ports and on the water.”
“This MARAD grant is a significant step forward in Tidewater’s commitment to sustainable transportation solutions along the M-84 Marine Highway,” said Aaron Degodny, VP and Chief Commercial Officer at Tidewater. “By expanding our barge service between Vancouver and the Port of Morrow and investing in low-emission technology, we are not only reducing highway congestion but also advancing our mission to deliver safe, reliable, and environmentally responsible logistics solutions for the communities we serve. We are deeply grateful to Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for her steadfast support of this initiative.”
An interactive map of community investments supported by the Congresswoman can be found at gluesenkampperez.house.gov/invest.