The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced it was awarded $1,000,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) Sustainability Management Plan (SMP).
"This funding is a crucial investment in Louisiana’s future, supporting sustainable infrastructure and creating meaningful opportunities for our communities. The Louisiana International Terminal represents economic growth and a commitment to environmental stewardship and workforce development that will benefit Violet, St. Bernard Parish and the entire state. I’m proud to support this project and the EPA’s dedication to ensuring that progress uplifts all Louisianians while protecting our unique environment," said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02).
The Louisiana International Terminal will be built in Violet, Louisiana, 17 miles downriver from the Crescent City Connection bridge, eliminating air draft restrictions for vessels that call Port NOLA. The terminal will be able to handle the largest container vessels that traverse the Panama Canal locks dramatically increasing Louisiana’s import and export capacity, foster strategic inland growth and allow both container-on-barge and intermodal services to expand.
The Port NOLA LIT SMP will follow the envision framework to achieve sustainable, resilient and equitable infrastructure. Envision uses proven best practices that include environmental, social, and economic considerations.
The Envision verification process commonly produces direct community benefits, including:
- Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and provides targets to reach carbon-neutral goals.
- Reduction in water and energy usage, encouragement of sustainable material use.
- Promotion of social equity and community cohesion, improvements in public health, safety, and access to essential services.
- Focus on creating local jobs and stimulating the economy, as the project is cost-effective and leads to long-term operational efficiencies.
- Protection of habitats and mitigation of impacts.
The EPA grant delivers funds to three community-based organizations to help equitably provide workforce development and educational opportunities for the Violet and St. Bernard Parish communities that will relate to LIT’s future careers and sustainability outcomes. Of the $1,000,000 grant, the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED) will receive $100,000 to support professional development for local communities around sustainability education; Nunez Community College will receive $100,000 for port-sector educational programs; and the Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) will receive $225,000 for workforce development. An additional $100,000 will be used for Envision programming; $352,341 will go toward contractual support; and $122,659 will be allocated for Port NOLA administration and project events.
“We want to thank the EPA, our federal partners and the Port of New Orleans for this funding and for supporting our mission to help hardworking families in our community secure equity and economic self-reliance,” said Judy Reese Morse, President and CEO of Urban League of Louisiana. “Together – through collaboration—we will strengthen our workforce and create careers that provide generational wealth for workers in Violet and the region.”
“We look forward to working with the Port of New Orleans to invest in our future maritime and logistics workforce,” said Tina Tinney, Ed. D., Nunez Community College Chancellor. “This funding will allow us to provide relevant, local training, education and workforce development initiatives that will benefit the citizens of St. Bernard for generations to come.”
LIT is the largest public economic development project in the State of Louisiana. By 2050, it is expected to generate 32,000 new jobs nationwide, including more than 18,000 in Louisiana and over 4,300 in St. Bernard Parish, as well as more than $1 billion in new state and local tax revenue.
“We want to thank the EPA and our federal delegation for this funding and for their ongoing support of the Louisiana International Terminal,” said Port NOLA President & CEO Beth Branch. “Port NOLA is committed to engaging the local community and protecting quality of life for Violet and St. Bernard Parish, as well as delivering a transformational project that will provide opportunities and economic prosperity for all Louisianians.”
In the 2024 regular session, Governor Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature committed $230.5 million to Port NOLA infrastructure projects including the Louisiana International Terminal. The state commitment follows $300 million in landmark federal funding awarded to Port NOLA last year to assist in building LIT, which represents the largest federal investment in a new container terminal in the history of the U.S. Department of Transportation. LIT has also garnered support from more than a dozen ports in six states as well as from major trade and agriculture associations throughout the heartland of America.
LIT will be built through a historic public-private partnership between Port NOLA and two private terminal operators. New Jersey-based Ports America, North America’s largest marine terminal operator, and Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, through its terminal development and investment arm, Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), have committed $800 million toward the project.
LIT is currently in the federal permitting process. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.
