Ports Initiative Announced On Upper Miss
Five Upper Mississippi River regional organizations have come together to form the Northern Grain Belt Ports Initiative.
The organization is an offshoot of the Corn Belt Ports Initiative, which works primarily with rural, regional inland ports to promote competitiveness, sustainability, resiliency and integrity of inland regional port systems as a key part of national infrastructure, according to a June 17 news release from the La Crosse (Wis.) Area Chamber of Commerce.
The organizations involved are the Joint Board of Harbor Commissioners (Port of La Crosse, Wis.), the City of Prairie du Chien, Wis., the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRPPC), the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce and the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce.
The La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce will house the Northern Grain Belt Ports Initiative. Goals set out for it include reducing transportation costs and risks associated with river transportation, establishing a basis for leveraging resources to sustainably develop port infrastructure, better connecting agricultural providers to the river and uniting various public and private stakeholders along the river.
La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Sam Scinta said the decision to move ahead with creating the organization after years of planning was important, both for the present and future of the region.
“The Mississippi is one of our region’s greatest strategic assets, a river known around the world for its power, transport infrastructure and beauty,” he said. “Our port infrastructure needs modernization to stay competitive and resilient in the face of changing water levels and business needs, including agriculture.”
Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce CEO Robert Moses said the Northern Grain Belt Ports are a valuable asset in southwestern Wisconsin, strengthening the region’s role as a transportation and logistics hub along the Mississippi River.
“This partnership supports local businesses, agriculture and economic growth by improving access to national and global markets,” he said.
MRPPC Transportation Planner Ken Harwood spoke about the benefits of working with a variety of stakeholders, saying that “working with the actual shippers and contractors on the river to identify key issues and opportunities is a potential benefit to our regional ports.”
Scinta said he believes the creation of the Northern Grain Belt Ports Initiative starts a process that will benefit generations to come and be “a marker of our stewardship for this significant infrastructure and natural resource.”
