Indy Standard

U.S. Senator Todd Young of Indiana has joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues to introduce new legislation aimed at improving access to federal funding for infrastructure upgrades at Great Lakes ports. This measure seeks to address the allocation imbalance of the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) awards observed between 2019 and 2024. During these years, Great Lakes ports received as little as two percent of the funding, while the East and West Coasts of the United States collectively secured nearly 70 percent.

The new bill, titled the Securing Smart Investments in Our Ports Act, intends to direct the Maritime Administration to consider fair regional distribution of PIDP funds in future grant allocations. Senator Young emphasized the importance of this initiative by stating, "Indiana’s ports are critical to our state’s economy and connect Hoosier businesses and farmers to the world. This bill will better ensure ports in the Great Lakes region have access to existing programs meant to improve their infrastructure, safety, and efficiency.”

The PIDP is a competitive federal grant program that provides initiatives to enhance the safety, efficiency, or reliability of U.S. ports by reconstructing docks, improving access to transportation routes, expanding storage capacity, and more.

Alongside Senator Young, this legislative effort is supported by U.S. Senators Gary Peters, John Cornyn, Tammy Baldwin, and Roger Wicker.