States cry foul over provisions in bill that would aid proposed container port

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Photo courtesy of the Port of Wilmington
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Good afternoon,

 Members of Congress from New Jersey and Pennsylvania  are not happy about a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Carper that would aid the  Port of Wilmington’s  expansion.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the  transportation bill contains provisions that would ease the way for a  container port  facility  at the former DuPont Edgemoor site.

Gultainer, a private company based in the United Arab Emirates,  operates the Port of Wilmington under a long-term lease deal with the State of Delaware.

The Philadelphia Inqurier  reports that the two states are upset with provisions that among other things would streamline permitting.

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Pennsylvania  has reason to be annoyed. The commonwealth  kicked in funds for the deepening of Delaware River Channel, while  Delaware opposed the project.

It turned out that the  deepening made  the Edgemoor site more competitive without Delaware helping to pay the bill.

If built, the new Delaware  port would end up with a competitive advantage since container ship owners would be able to shorten voyages that would otherwise end at Philadelphia.

Members of Congress from Pennsylvania and New Jersey have sent a letter to the House committee handling the bill that outlines their opposition.

The dispute illustrates the dog eat dog nature of the port business along the Delaware River.

Years back, the  Port of Wilmington could have lost much of its lucrative fruit  market when new facilities were built along the river in New Jersey and an aggressive bid was made for that business.

The State of Delaware later  opted to lease the site  to Gulftainer after determining that improvements that would keep the port   competitive  required a far greater investment than the state could afford.

Delaware and Gulftainer are  pushing for the container port as a way to bring hundreds of precious blue collar jobs to the state. Gulftainer plans to invest more than  half a billion dollars in port facilities.

Gulftainer has already invested in new equipment  at the Port of Wilmington and  has  set up a trucking operation aimed at luring shippers that need a way to get their goods to their final destination. 

Enjoy this warm, but nice weather. It won’t last as  the forecast  days calls for  higher heat and humidity. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.

 

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