Title
Authorizing Council's Committees on Commerce and Economic Development and Legislative Oversight to hold hearings examining the City's diversity and inclusion strategy for the planned $300 million investment in the Port of Philadelphia, and its economic impact in the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Governor Wolf's four-year initiative will increase container capacity, create thousands of jobs, increase tax revenue, and position the Port of Philadelphia to compete in the 21st Century economy; and
WHEREAS, The Port of Philadelphia has major economic impacts throughout the state of Pennsylvania, serving as one of the region's most important economic engines and providing a living for thousands of working class families; and
WHEREAS, Roughly $200 million in capital improvement funds will be invested in the Port of Philadelphia's largest maritime and container facility at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal through new equipment and facilities construction; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority's new Diversity Outreach Program will seek to assure the inclusion of minorities and traditionally under-utilized groups as contractors and subcontractors throughout the expansion process; and
WHEREAS, Roughly $90 million of the Governor's capital improvement funds will be earmarked for the Port's Automobile Import/Export facility to increase automobile-processing capacity and upgrade the site for more flexible future use; and
WHEREAS, $12 million earmarked for Tioga Marine Terminal will be used for building renovations and additional equipment to expand the terminal's capacity to process wood pulp cargoes; and
WHEREAS, Capital improvements at the Port of Philadelphia will directly increase employment by 70% from 3,124 to 5,738 jobs, expand container capacity by 86%, increase automotive capacity by 166%, and increase breakbulk cargo capacity by 21%; and,
WHEREAS, This investment provides the City and its partners in Harrisburg th...
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