MENOMINEE, Mich. (NBC 26) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Menominee Harbor Tuesday.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday visited Menominee Harbor in Menominee, Mich.
- Federal infrastructure law money is providing more than $20 million to improve facilities at the port
- Buttigieg is under consideration for the vice presidential nomination on the Democratic ticket; he declined to discuss the campaign during an official DOT visit
More than $20 million of federal money is coming to improve the port.
The money will go toward improving the KK Integrated Logistics (KKIL) terminal in Menominee Harbor.
KKIL is a family business and the company has never received government money before, a company official said.
In a one-on-one interview, NBC 26 asked Buttigieg about the impact of the money on workers whose income is connected to activity at the port.
“The reason we’re investing these $21 million in the Port of Menominee, is that the Port of Menominee is an economic engine,” Buttigieg said.
“It’s something that supports, not just the dozens of people who work directly on and around this port, but so many people who count on this facility to move products, whether we’re talking about the pulp, the agricultural commodities, or the manufacturing commodities that come through here.”
Buttigieg, who is being considered as a possible vice presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket, declined to discuss the campaign during an official DOT visit.
The federal grant money coming to Menominee will be used to reconstruct deteriorating infrastructure at the port and increase rail capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The DOT said that will allow goods to move faster, and lead to fewer trucks going in and out of the port.
NBC 26 asked Buttigieg about inflation, and whether the DOT has more ability to improve logistics in the U.S. that could possibly lead to a reduction in prices.
“That’s a big part of why we’re doing this. Part of how we’ve fought inflation back down to the 2 1/2, 3 percent level is by paying attention to shipping costs,” Buttigieg said.
“If we have backlogs in the supply chain, that contributes to the cost of shipping, which contributes to the price we pay on the shelves at the grocery [store]. So every investment we make in better supply chains is also part of the fight against inflation.”
A KKIL official said there is more work to be done before construction can begin on the grant-funded projects; the construction could begin in 10 to 12 months.
