Governor Rendell Proclaims Pennsylvania Ports Day; Urges General Assembly to Pass 'World Trade PA' Initiative
Posted on: Monday, 22 May 2006, 12:01 CDT
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with National Maritime Day, Governor Edward G. Rendell today proclaimed May 22 as Pennsylvania Ports Day, recognizing the publicly- and privately-owned ports, Port Authorities and maritime-related businesses in the commonwealth.
"Our ports are economic gateways to the world," Governor Rendell said. "They are major transportation hubs that attract private and public investment and they create economic opportunity and good jobs for thousands of hardworking men and women.
"Each of Pennsylvania's ports delivers Pennsylvania goods and products throughout the world and they offer unique opportunities for shippers and manufacturers to make our companies more competitive in the global marketplace."
The commonwealth's maritime industry accounts for more than 300,000 jobs.
Pennsylvania has three unique ports - deep water access to the world from Philadelphia and the Delaware River; access to mid-America and the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio River in Pittsburgh; and access to the Great Lakes, Canada, and the world via the Saint Lawrence Seaway from Erie. Pennsylvania ports handle over 104 million tons of cargo ranking the commonwealth 9th among all maritime states.
Governor Rendell also noted that he recently took part in the official opening of Erie Shipbuilding, LLC, a new company that will create at least 200 new jobs in Erie. The new shipbuilding and repair facility will be located at an Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority shipyard. The project was a united effort between PennPORTS, a division with the Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Erie Port Authority.
Governor Rendell is steadfast in his commitment to invest in business growth, job creation, and increasing our state's global competitiveness. His proposed 2006-07 budget includes $15 million in new funding to accelerate and expand the commonwealth's current trade and investment activities.
In order to continue to advance the commonwealth's competitiveness abroad, the Governor proposed the World Trade PA initiative to:
* Increase Pennsylvania's share of trade in foreign markets; * Attract new foreign direct investment to secure jobs and capital; and * Leverage Pennsylvania's extensive network of overseas university graduates to promote new business opportunities for the state.
"Investing in our companies is important, but we must do more to help these businesses as they face tough competition from other states and nations," the Governor said. "State lawmakers must approve World Trade PA to provide companies with the tools to become a driving and competitive force in international trade and investment."
DCED's Office of PennPORTS serves as the vehicle for a statewide port policy and as liaison between the commonwealth and its three ports. PennPORTS offers technical assistance to enhance regional port operations; harmonizes port operations with state planning and fiscal priorities; develops plans for transportation and distribution inter-connections among the three ports; and maximizes the operations of these ports to create jobs and benefit Pennsylvania's economy.
For information on PennPORTS and Governor Rendell's World Trade PA initiative, visit http://www.newpa.com/ or call 1-866-GONEWPA (1-866-466-3972).
The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/.
CONTACT: Kate Philips 717-783-1116 Kevin Ortiz (DCED) 717-783-1132
Pennsylvania Office of the Governor
CONTACT:CONTACT: Kate Philips of the Office of the Governor, +1-717-783-1116, orKevin Ortiz of DCED, +1-717-783-1132
Web site: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/
Source: PRNewswire
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