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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces $15 Million TIGER Grant Award for the Port of OaklandJun 20, 2012 (Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- Washington D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) announced today that the Port of Oakland will be awarded a $15 million TIGER grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to modernize the Port's ship-to-rail exchange capacity. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Discretionary Grant program, awards the most promising local infrastructure proposals with investments in road, rail, transit, and port projects that advance critical infrastructure goals for the United States. The highly coveted TIGER grant will allow the Port of Oakland to improve access to the Port for existing ship and container traffic. Additionally, the project will enhance the Port's reputation as a premier shipping gateway for the Asia-Pacific by modernizing intermodal transfer infrastructure, reducing emissions, and significantly increase both the Port's efficiency and competitiveness. "I am pleased and excited that the Port of Oakland has been selected to receive this critical and highly competitive funding," said Congresswoman Lee. "This key logistical project will streamline and enhance the Port's critical operations while maintaining and creating thousands of construction and permanent jobs. The fact that this project was selected above hundreds of submissions from around the country demonstrates the competitiveness of the proposal and the pivotal role the Port of Oakland plays in the economic health of Northern California and the region." Oakland Mayor Jean Quan thanked Congresswoman Lee for her work in securing this grant, adding: "This is great news for Oakland. This grant is another giant step forward toward implementing a transformative project at the Port of Oakland which will translate into thousands of jobs for our city and will spur economic growth for generations to come. We are grateful to Secretary Ray Lahood and the Obama Administration for their leadership in creating jobs." Said Port Commissioner President Pamela Calloway, "Congresswoman Barbara Lee and her staff worked tirelessly to help us secure this grant, and we collectively thank President Obama and his Transportation Secretary LaHood for recognizing the national importance of this job-creating project. This will demonstrate clear and compelling momentum to the California Transportation Commission so that they continue to work with us to preserve our state funding and get this project built." Read this original document at: http://lee.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-announces-15-million-tiger-grant-award-for-the-port-of-oakland/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |