October 14, 2009
Cicilline pursues U.S. funds for port

By Philip Marcelo
Journal Staff Writer
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PROVIDENCE — Mayor David N. Cicilline met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari in Washington, D.C., Tuesday seeking $39 million in federal stimulus money to expand ProvPort for the short-sea shipping industry.

ProvPort, the nonprofit organization that operates the city port, is seeking the funds to purchase two 650-ton shipping-container cranes, two 200-foot wind turbines and solar panels. The wind turbines and solar panels, it is hoped, would produce enough renewable energy to completely wean port tenants away from fossil fuels, with power to spare.

The port is among 1,400 applicants to the federal Department of Transportation’s $1.5-billion Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) plan, which is a competitive grant program funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The federal DOT has said it will announce grant recipients by February.

Cicilline went to Washington for the sole purpose of a one-on-one meeting with Porcari.

The mayor said in a statement that redefining the port represents one of the keys to the city’s and the region’s economic revitalization. According to ProvPort, its proposal could create 1,000 new jobs and generate more than $120 million in annual economic activity.