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Portfields - Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative
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LA Portfields Map
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Initiative Description
The economic importance of Louisiana's coastal and inland ports to the state and the nation are well established. Louisiana’s ports serve as one of the major gateways to the entire middle of the United States and are a key to economic recovery of the Gulf region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana’s ports have a total impact of $32.9 billion to the states economy, and port related firms support approximately 270,000 permanent jobs throughout the state. Through these ports bulk commodities of agriculture are exported as bulk commodities of industrialism (e.g. steel, concrete, coal, oil and chemicals) are imported.
Any significant increases in international maritime trade and other imports and exports will depend largely on the capacity of Louisiana’s ports. The Port of New Orleans; South Louisiana; Baton Rouge; St. Bernard, Port Fourchon, and the Jefferson Parish Port District have come together to participate in a regional application of the Portfields model -- the Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative. Representatives from the six ports, with support from the Regional Planning Commission of New Orleans and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, met with representatives from the three pilot ports (Bellingham, WA, New Bedford, MA and Tampa, FL) along with local, state, and federal partners on May 23 – 24, 2006 in New Orleans, LA to kick off this initiative.
The goals of this meeting were to:
• Transfer best practices and lessons learned through a Peer-to-Peer exchange between Portfields pilots and Southern Louisiana ports;
• Establish face-to-face contacts with partner agencies to assist in prospective projects; and
• Host discussions on the suite of specific issues most important to Southern Louisiana ports.
In advance of the May Kick-Off meeting, a Financial and Technical Assistance Opportunities Guide was compiled for the ports participating in the Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative. It is intended to provide comprehensive information on available resources for projects that fall within the Portfields model.
The Kick-Off meeting provided an excellent forum for the exchange of innovative ideas and creative solutions to traditional port problems. The seventy-five attendees included representatives from the six Louisiana ports, eleven federal agencies, six state agencies, and five local organizations. The Louisiana ports provided attendees with background information on their facilities and identified needs ranging from stormwater management and infrastructure improvements to achieving increased energy and transportation efficiency through a demonstration container-on-barge project. Federal and state agencies presented financial and technical assistance opportunities available to help the ports achieve these goals. Representatives from the three Portfields Pilot programs in Bellingham, New Bedford and Tampa were also on hand to share their accomplishments under the Portfields model. All involved parties committed to follow up on action items, serve as a contact for their agency, and provide assistance wherever resources were available, and priority projects are currently in the development phase.
Participating Ports
Southern Louisiana ports have chosen to participate in the Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative. Each port is unique and provides vital services to our entire nation.
Port of New Orleans
• The nation’s largest importer of coffee;
• Brownfield properties; and
• Strong working relationship with City of New Orleans brownfields coordinator.
• Web site address: http://www.portno.com/
Port of South Louisiana
• The nation’s largest port by tonnage and the fourth largest in the world;
• Essential to the nation’s agricultural exports, exporting more than 250 million tons per year;
• Primary inbound cargoes include crude oil, aluminum ores, petroleum products;
• The POSL serves as landlord to 40 separate bulk, dry, and liquid cargo;
• POSL is undertaking brownfields projects currently.
• Web site address: http://www.portsl.com/
Port of Greater Baton Rouge
• City has active brownfields program:
• Baton Rouge $200,000 Petroleum Assessment Grant;
• Baton Rouge $200,000 Hazardous Substances Assessment Grant;
• East Baton Rouge Housing Authority, Petroleum Cleanup Grant
• Hope Community Development Corp $35,000 Petroleum Cleanup Grant
• Pelican Nest Learning & Resource Center, $40,000 Petroleum Cleanup
• Opportunities to coordinate with City brownfields program;
• Cargo includes forest/paper products, heavy lifts, steel, bagged goods;
• Home to one of the largest molasses terminals in the world.
• Web site address: http://www.portgbr.com/
St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District
• Large landowner with opportunity for commercial office complex;
• Enhanced dock facilities;
• Parish split by Intracoastal Waterway and Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), which is advantageous for marine-related activity;
• Job creation for severely impacted Parish.
• Web site address: http://www.stbernardport.com/
Greater Lafourche Port Commission (Port Fourchon)
• Port Fourchon supports 75% of all deepwater oil/gas production in Gulf;
• Critical to Nation’s oil and gas industry (18% of domestic, 13% of the nation’s imports);
• Supports operations at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP);
• Continues to play a prominent role in the recovery of the oil and gas industry in the GOM;
• Active in wetlands mitigation and restoration.
• Web site address: http://www.portfourchonla.com/home.asp
Jefferson Parish Port District (JEDCO)
• Objective: enhance business climate and foster progressive economic development in Jefferson Parish;
• Responsible for all navigable waterways in Parish that do not exceed 15 feet in depth, which includes Lake Pontchartrain, the Harvey Canal, Bayou Segnette, and Bayou Barataria; Fabrication yard for barge and tug repair (supports oil and gas).
• Web site address: http://www.jeffparish.net/index.cfm?DocID=1049
Partners
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Local Liaisons |
Greater Lafourche Port Commission
Leslie Williams
South Central Planning and Development Commission
phone: (985) 851-2900
e-mail: Leslie@scpdc.org
Nathan Champagne
City of New Orleans
phone: (504) 658-4073
e-mail: njchampagne@cityofno.com
Jefferson Parish Port District (JEDCO)
Rebecca Otte
Regional Planning Commission
phone: (504) 568-6622
e-mail: rotte@norpc.orgy Baker
Port of Greater Baton Rouge
Justin Farrell
Louisiana Sea Grant
phone: (225) 578-6348
e-mail: jfarrell@lsu.edu |
Port of New Orleans
Nathan Champagne
City of New Orleans
phone: (504) 658-4073
e-mail: njchampagne@cityofno.com
Port of South Louisiana
Leslie Williams
South Central Planning and Development Commission
phone: (985) 851-2900
e-mail: Leslie@scpdc.org
Steve Villavaso
Regional Planning Commission
phone: (504) 301-4414
e-mail: svillavaso1@cox.net
St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District
Rebecca Otte
Regional Planning Commission
phone: (504) 568-6622
e-mail: rotte@norpc.org |
Local Partners
• Regional Planning Commission (RPC)
• City of New Orleans
• South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC)
• City of Baton Rouge Planning Department
• Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs
• Bayou Land Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D)
State Partners
• Ports Association of Louisiana (PAL)
• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ)
• Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD)
• Louisiana Department of Natural Resources/Coastal Zone Management (LDNR)
• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
• Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LDED)
• Louisiana Sea Grant Program
Federal Partners
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Economic Development Administration (EDA)
• Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• Maritime Administration, Dept. of Transportation (MARAD)
• Department of the Interior (DOI)
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Natural Resource Conservation Service, Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
• United States Coast Guard (USGS)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
For More Information
Kenneth Walker
NOAA/National Ocean Service
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management
phone: (301)713-3155 x 157
e-mail: Kenneth.Walker@noaa.gov
Patricia Overmeyer
US Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
phone: (202) 566-2774
e-mail: Overmeyer.Patricia@epamail.epa.gov
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