In a call with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Shaun Donovan, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) pressed for continued investment in the Delaware Deepening Project in the Administration’s upcoming FY16 budget.
Casey has been a congressional leader in pushing for funds for the deepening project and has worked to secure $125 million in investments in the job-creating project.
“I appreciate the effort the Administration has made on the Delaware Deepening Project and I hope, after speaking with Director Donovan, that the Administration will continue to prioritize this critical project,” Senator Casey said. “ According to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority the Delaware River currently supports over 38,000 jobs and deepening the Delaware has to the potential to create more jobs and cement Philadelphia’s port as a driver of economic activity in the city and all of Southeastern Pennsylvania.”
The project will deepen the Delaware River channel from forty feet to forty-five feet in order to accommodate larger vessels. This will reduce shipping costs, make maritime transportation more efficient and make the channel safer and more reliable.
Once the channel is deepened, there will be an estimated increase of 2.5 million tons of cargo to the Port of Philadelphia, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs. In addition, this project will provide the potential to create thousands of short-term jobs that aid an industry that has suffered significantly in this economic climate.
According to an economic impact study by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority the Delaware River currently supports over 38,000 jobs.
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Press Release