Cantwell Visits Kalama to Celebrate New $26.3M Federal Grant That Will Help Port Move Grain to Market Faster

Cantwell Visits Kalama to Celebrate New $26.3M Federal Grant That Will Help Port Move Grain to Market Faster

Port of Kalama rail expansion will allow port to load cargo ~30% faster, improving efficiency at one of the largest grain exporters on the West Coast; Funding comes from CRISI program, which Cantwell tripled funding for in 2021 infrastructure bill

KALAMA, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined local leaders at the Port of Kalama to celebrate a new $26,323,386 federal grant that will help pay to replace rail tracks and allow the port - already one of the largest grain exporters on the West Coast - to load grain cargo faster.

"We need to be thinking about the export opportunities in the United States," Sen. Cantwell said in a roundtable that preceded a tour of the port.

"We know how many jobs are related to trade activity, but not everybody in the country does, so we have to communicate to them. You guys are representing all the way back to the Midwest, right? This isn't just about us, even though we're a big wheat producing state. This is about the whole country getting product all the way to Asia," she continued. "This is a huge, huge economic opportunity, and we have to build capacity in order to take advantage of it."

The project will replace rail tracks at the Port of Kalama's TEMCO Terminal. The replacement tracks will support storage of two loaded and two empty trains simultaneously at the port -- expected to increase the loading efficiency of grain from rail to ship by up to 30%. In addition to the federal funds, the Port of Kalama will contribute a 20% match.

Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter in support of the project to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, which is available HERE.

The Port of Kalama plays a key role in transporting cargo in and out of the Pacific Northwest and from as far away as South Dakota. Currently, 50 million tons of cargo travel up and down the Columbia River, including more than half of the United States' domestically grown wheat. The TEMCO Terminal directly employs 140 people who load up to 2 million bushels of grain every day. This rail project will also create an additional 40 construction jobs.

The Port of Kalama grant was one of nine major investments in Washington state's rail system infrastructure announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation last week, totaling $115,577,598. The improvements will boost railroad capacity all across the state, helping move freight and agricultural products quickly and more safely between our communities and on to international markets.

The grants come from the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which funds projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail. Sen. Cantwell secured $5 billion over 5 years for the CRISI program in her Surface Transportation Investment Act which was included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, tripling annual funding for the program.

Photos of today's tour at the Port of Kalama are HERE.