National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito issued the following statement after the House voted 228-206 to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act late Friday night:

“The bipartisan infrastructure deal is a milestone that will support the ascendant American offshore wind opportunity. NOIA strongly advocated for infrastructure funding levels that would provide meaningful support for U.S. ports. Our ports are the gateway to our nation’s offshore wind opportunity. Access to the capital will help ports invest and improve their operational capabilities in support of American offshore wind and the generational opportunity it provides. 

“The bipartisan infrastructure package provides investments in core infrastructure priorities, with $17.4 billion in funding for waterway and coastal infrastructure, inland waterway improvements, and port infrastructure. Of those funds, $450 million per year for 5 years would go to the Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), allowing for significant improvements to improve port facilities on our coasts. 



"The broader infrastructure provisions will modernize the nation’s foundational infrastructure that includes roads, bridges, freight and rail, water, and information technology, providing benefits to all sectors of the economy. The legislation also advances climate related efforts through coastal resiliency funding, low and zero carbon transportation commitments, and continued funding for bipartisan programs supporting large scale carbon capture, direct air capture, and wind energy projects.

“Developing our ports and other infrastructure will help the U.S. maximize the economic and environmental benefits from offshore energy, specifically offshore wind.”