The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) Sustainability Management Plan (SMP).
The 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.
LIT will be able to handle the largest container vessels that traverse the Panama Canal locks thus increasing Louisiana’s import and export capacity, fostering strategic inland growth and allowing 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 reportedly 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.
READ: Port NOLA granted $226 million for Louisiana International Terminal
The EPA grant delivers funds to three community-based organisations 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 million 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.
“This funding is a crucial investment in Louisiana’s future, supporting sustainable infrastructure and creating meaningful opportunities for our communities,” said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02).
“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.”
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“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.
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. This 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 and major trade and agriculture associations throughout the heartland of America.
