Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $850,000 to Establish Maritime Training Facility in New Orleans Opportunity Zone
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
March 2, 2020
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding an $850,000 grant to Delgado Community College of New Orleans, Louisiana, to support the growth of Louisiana’s water transportation industry by building the new Delgado Maritime and Industrial Training Facility. The EDA grant project, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $264,632 in local funds and is expected to create 100 jobs.
“The new Delgado Maritime and Industrial Training Facility in New Orleans will train new deckhands in preparation for entry into the inland water transportation industry,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “EDA is pleased to support the expansion of Delgado’s maritime training program, and the project’s location in an Opportunity Zone will attract additional new private investment.”
The funding announced today goes to one of Louisiana’s 150 Opportunity Zones. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone initiative, see the Opportunity Now resources page here.
The funding announced today will help catalyze private investment in a nearby Opportunity Zone. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Treasury Department resources page here.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.