Hearing reviews four port development applications; vote set for next meeting

A joint hearing of the Transportation, Highways and Public Works committees on March 17 heard information about four port construction and development applications that the Office of Multimodal Commerce plans to bring to a vote at the next meeting.

Julia Fisher Cormier, Commissioner of the Office of Multimodal Commerce at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, told the committee that the four fourth‑quarter applications are Port Vinton, the Port of New Orleans (Alamo terminal revitalization), the Port of Manchaca, and the Port of Greater Baton Rouge (Dock 1 fender replacement). "The 4 new applications for port priority and development program this quarter equal $36,000,000 in state investment," Cormier said.

The department says the four projects together would generate nearly $300 million in state benefits and create or retain 131 jobs. The packet provided to committee members included LED (Louisiana Economic Development) letters for each of the four applications and a set of emails received regarding one application, Cormier said. She noted that the program is reimbursable: once a project is approved, a port may use its own funds to proceed and later receive state reimbursement.

Stephen Barnes, executive director of the Kathleen Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, described how benefit‑cost ratios are calculated for the program. "The benefit cost ratio is the broader, more holistic picture of what a project means to the state of Louisiana," Barnes said, explaining that the analysis counts port‑related revenues and payroll benefits on the positive side of the calculation.

Committee members asked for clarification about job counts and how those figures are reported. Cormier said job totals in the packet combine jobs created and jobs retained and that the four new applications together account for 131 created or retained positions. Representative Phelps and others pressed for detail on whether job openings were locally hireable or positions brought by tenants; Cormier said the numbers mix both retention and new hires and can reflect hires by the port or by tenants.

Representative Walters and others noted recent operational incidents at local ports and thanked first responders; Cormier said DOTD staff would follow up with local port officials and Louisiana Economic Development on recovery efforts.

No formal action or vote occurred at the hearing. Cormier told the committee the materials were provided for information and that the committee would vote on the applications at its next meeting.

Members of several ports filed cards indicating support; the hearing record lists representatives of Port Vinton, Greater Baton Rouge, Morgan City and other ports as present to provide information if requested.

The committee's chair closed the item noting that the hearing was informational and that votes on these projects are scheduled for the next meeting.