Green Articles
Fielkow: N.O. needs to invest in its port
By Lee Zurik : WWL-TV : February 25, 2008
The port of New Orleans has been one of this area's economic drivers, but one political leader worries if the port is not upgraded in a hurry we could be missing out on a huge economic opportunity.
“It may be at the end of the day the best economic development project that we have in this city going forward for the next generation,” said New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow.
But Fielkow says if New Orleans doesn’t move quickly it will lose out.
“We need to invest in the port of New Orleans through infrastructure,” he says, adding that investing in the port will allow Louisiana to take advantage of the widening of the Panama Canal – which will be completed in 2014.
A wider canal means bigger ships could come to the United States.
“Those vessels are going to be carrying a lot more cargo than they used to,” said Alberto Aleman, head of the Panama Canal Authority.
Aleman spoke to area business leaders on Friday and urged them to invest in the port.
When the canal is widened, the port of New Orleans will be competing against many others along the Gulf, East and West Coast.
“In particular as it relates to the Panama Canal, the other regions of the Gulf Coast have already recognized that,” said Conrad Appel, former port board chairman. “In Houston for instance and other parts of Texas, they are pouring hundreds of millions in the port facilities. In Mobile, we all know that they built a new port facility. Gulfport is pouring $650 million into its port facilities.”
This spring, the Louisiana legislature will be asked to invest about $200 million in the port – funds that will go forward toward increasing container capacity three times.
It’s the first step in taking advantage of the canal’s widening.
This month, Fielkow went on a three day trade visit to Panama, meeting with government and business leaders about economic development opportunities for New Orleans.
“Everywhere I went people said New Orleans can be the beneficiary of the canal project, but be ready for it,” said Fielkow.
While in Panama, Fielkow also met with the mayor of Panama City and discussed establishing New Orleans and Panama City as sister cities.
They already have strong ties, Fielkow says, through existing trade, commerce and educational relationships.