The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act brought tremendous opportunities improving our nation’s critical infrastructure, including its ports – but with a short timeline for applicants to participate. The deadline for this year’s competitive Port Infrastructure Development Program grant proposals is May 16.
The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program 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. Congress provided first-year funds of $293 million for the program in the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Congress continued funding the program at $225 million in FY2020 and $230 million in FY2021. For FY2022 the Infrastructure and Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriated $450 million to the PIDP.
Among the inland ports that have benefitted from recent PIDP grants are Granite City, Ill.; Paducah, Ky.; Tell City, Ind.; Little Rock, Ark.; Bay St. Louis, Miss.; and Aberdeen, Miss.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated $450 million to the PIDP for FY 2022 to make discretionary grants for eligible PIDP projects. The Notice of Funding Opportunity solicits applications for projects to be funded under the PIDP grant program
Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation announced that it was doubling funding for its Port Infrastructure Development Program, courtesy of the IIJA. But the increased funding came with changes in eligibility, program criteria and guidelines. The new guidelines reflect the vision of strengthening American supply chains expressed in the President’s Port Action Plan, which calls for rapid action to relieve supply chain constraints at American ports through significant investments in the near, medium and long term.
The agency seeks projects that support the following program objectives: (1) improving the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the loading and unloading of goods, the movement of goods, operational improvements (including projects to improve port resilience), or environmental and emissions mitigation measures; (2) supporting economic vitality at the national and regional levels; (3) addressing climate change and environmental justice impacts; (4) advancing equity and opportunity for all; and (5) leveraging Federal funding to attract non-Federal sources of infrastructure investment. The Biden administration has also signaled it will put greater emphasis on projects that target climate change, reduce emissions and/or increase resilience to climate-caused issues like flooding.
For more information on how to apply for a grant under the program, please see 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) | MARAD (dot.gov).