U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces $15.9 Million Federal Grant for Port Milwaukee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today announced a $15.9 million federal grant was awarded to Port Milwaukee from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish an Agricultural Maritime Export Facility that will strengthen Wisconsin’s maritime commerce and economy.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Baldwin successfully secured this federal investment that will make critical improvements at Port Milwaukee to support Wisconsin workers, farmers and businesses.

“Port Milwaukee moves Wisconsin’s manufactured goods and agricultural products to markets across the country and to the rest of the world,” said Senator Baldwin. “I worked to secure this investment in our transportation infrastructure so that we can expand farmers’ access to international markets, create jobs for Milwaukee workers and help grow our Made in Wisconsin economy.”

“This investment adds a new dimension to Port Milwaukee’s role as a connector of Wisconsin’s businesses and farmers to world markets,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “Waterborne commerce is what established Milwaukee and fueled its growth.  The Port’s new agricultural export facility will serve regional customers for decades to come, and we are very appreciative of the Federal government’s partnership.”

Port Milwaukee’s Agricultural Maritime Export Facility, located on the west side of Jones Island, will be the first on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway system specifically for the export of Dry Distillers Grain with Solubles (DDGs), which is a byproduct of ethanol production. Supplemental service is also envisioned for the export of soybeans, corn and grain in the future.

This project will implement a broad range of improvements at the Port, modernize the safety of Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure, and improve the reliability of the movement of goods. It will also expand Wisconsin’s agribusiness access to international markets and create new jobs in Milwaukee.

An online version of this release is available here.