Port of Everett & Swinomish Tribe Each Receive $10M+ Grants to Boost Port Infrastructure

Port of Everett & Swinomish Tribe Each Receive $10M+ Grants to Boost Port Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, announced that the Port of Everett and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community are receiving significant grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

"This funding will help the Swinomish Tribe build a new commercial pier, storage facility, and fish processing plant. The Port of Everett will use their grant to reinforce Pier 3 and make it strong enough for crane loading. Together, these projects will strengthen working waterfronts, support our seafood sector, and keep freight moving efficiently through our ports -- which is exactly why I fought to more than double annual funding for the Port Infrastructure Development Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and changed the law to ensure that seafood-related port infrastructure is eligible for funding."

The Port of Everett will receive $11,250,000 for its Pier 3 Modernization Project. The funds will assist with demolition, pile installation, resurfacing, filling and paving of surfaces, procurement, and installation. Earlier this year, Sen. Cantwell helped secure $250,000 in federal funding for the Port's South Marina Terminal Replacement Project.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community will receive $10,797,061 for infrastructure modernization at the Port of Swinomish. This project will fund the construction of a new commercial pier, 24,000 square feet of covered storage space, renovation of three moorage piers, and the design of a new approximately 34,000-square-foot fish processing plant. In 2022, the Port received an $11,000,000 PIDP grant for a boat ramp replacement project and commercial pier upgrades.

Pier 3 is a critical component of the Port of Everett's maritime industrial center and plays a key role in handling breakbulk cargo, including aerospace parts, forest products, and other oversized goods that move through Washington's supply chain. Pier 3 was constructed in 1973 and is primarily used by bulk cement and maritime tenants. It is the Port's longest berth but much of the existing infrastructure is aging and has lost load-bearing capacity, limiting the port's ability to efficiently handle cargo and support modern shipping needs. This investment will rehabilitate and modernize Pier 3 to restore full operational capacity, improve cargo handling efficiency, and increase resiliency against seismic and climate-related risks. Upgrades will help reduce congestion, support regional manufacturers and exporters, and ensure the port can continue serving as a key gateway for domestic and international trade.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community relies on fishing and seafood processing for tribal fisheries. This project will expand commercial pier access, increase moorage capacity for fishing vessels, and develop additional cold storage and fish processing infrastructure. These improvements will strengthen the Tribe's ability to land, process, and distribute seafood locally, creating jobs, supporting Tribal sovereignty, and improving the efficiency and resilience of Washington's seafood supply chain.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell worked to include a record $2.25 billion for the program in the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In September 2021, Sen. Cantwell led a letter calling to boost funding for the PIDP program to help address the ongoing issues with port congestion.

She has also continued to expand the program's scope. In 2023, Cantwell-led legislation explicitly made seafood-related infrastructure eligible for PIDP funding, including fish processing, cold storage, and related port facilities. This change helped make Washington projects more competitive, as 60% of Washington's $60 billion dollar maritime economy is connected to seafood.

Sen. Cantwell has consistently championed and coauthored the 2019 legislation that reauthorized MARAD and the PIDP grant program. The MARAD and PIDP were reauthorized in the 2021 National Defense Reauthorization Act, a provision authored by Sen. Cantwell.

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