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AAPA and MarAd to Partner on Port Planning and Finance Toolkit

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AAPA joined the U.S. Maritime Administration on September 25 in signing a cooperative agreement to work together in developing port investment plan guidance, references and best practices. MarAd has obtained some year-end FY 2013 funding to kick start the project and has requested additional funding in next year’s budget. Jean Godwin (jgodwin@aapa-ports.org) of the AAPA staff will be the project coordinator.  

Many ports struggle to attract public and private capital for infrastructure projects in part because there is no go-to guide detailing how to describe and justify investment needs. The goal of this project is to develop tools that will: 1) improve the chances of including port infrastructure projects in MPO and state transportation plans in order to receive formula funding; 2) better position port projects for federal funding such as TIGER grants; and 3) assist ports in obtaining private sector funding.

The tools will help ports make a compelling economic case that clearly identifies future port needs and proposes the most cost-effective, sustainable and efficient solutions. Most importantly, the result should be an "investment-grade" plan for the port’s future that attracts public and private investment. The guidelines will help ports plan for the needs of an entire facility or a portion or subsection of the port.  
 

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