Missouri House wants to spend $50 million on ports, including one in Jefferson County | Politics | stltoday.com

2022-04-07 02:49:13 By : Ms. Maria Wang

A rendering of an inland container vessel which American Patriot Holdings LLC is developing for use on the Mississippi River. (handout)

JEFFERSON CITY — At a time when pandemic-related disruptions have slowed shipping and left some industries unable to produce goods, the state’s proposed new budget includes $50 million to make improvements to Missouri ports.

Among last-minute amendments added to the House version of the state’s new spending plan Tuesday was a $50 million addition that could go toward projects in Jefferson County, New Madrid County, St. Charles and Hannibal.

Rep. Cody Smith, a Carthage Republican who chairs the House Budget Committee, said the money was inserted into the $47 billion budget at the request of lawmakers who represent port authorities along the Mississippi River.

“I think it’s an infrastructure issue, especially with the supply chain problems we’ve seen,” Smith told the Post-Dispatch.

Like other states, Missouri is attempting to address shipping disruptions that arose during the spread of the coronavirus due to a slowdown in the availability of raw materials, the shutdown of ports and ongoing labor shortages.

Gov. Mike Parson has formed a task force headed by Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna to investigate solutions.

In Jefferson County, the money could help construct a new port facility in Herculaneum to handle container cargo to and from the Gulf of Mexico.

The planned container-on-vessel port facility would handle vessels larger and faster than the typical river barge and will transport shipping containers full of goods to and from the Gulf of Mexico.

The facility will be built on more than 300 acres owned by Doe Run Co. and Fred Weber Inc.’s Riverview Commerce Park. Texas-based Hawtex Development Corp. will lead the development, along with Fred Weber Inc. and Riverview Commerce Park.

Officials do not know when construction could start, nor how much the project will cost. But Hawtex President James Hurley said his company’s goal is to have the facility operating by late 2024.

The budget move came after Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, made state financial support for the Jefferson County port facility an issue in his bid to become the next county executive.

Wieland, who is term-limited in the Senate, told the Post-Dispatch last month that current executive Dennis Gannon and members of the county Port Authority made a poor impression answering legislators’ questions when they visited the state Capitol seeking $25 million in state appropriations to help fund the project.

Gannon, who is seeking his second four-year term, disputed Wieland’s characterization. The De Soto Republican said the county delegation gave the most informed answers possible about the development.

Smith did not identify the lawmakers who approached him about inserting the money into the spending blueprint, which awaits final action in the House before heading to the Senate for further debate.

He said he did not talk specifically with Wieland about the money.

The specialized vessels, developed by Florida-based American Patriot Container Transport, are too large to get through the Mississippi River lock and dam system that starts north of St. Louis, making the Jefferson County area a logical place to put a loading and unloading hub, fed by rail, barge and truck, officials said previously.

The legislation is House Bill 3020.

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Kurt Erickson is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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A rendering of an inland container vessel which American Patriot Holdings LLC is developing for use on the Mississippi River. (handout)

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