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The Port of Gulfport MississippiPort of Gulfport, Mississippi

Community Initiatives

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The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) at Gulfport is deeply committed to advancing environmental stewardship, fostering community engagement, and ensuring the sustainability of our port operations. Since the completion of a new Strategic Master Plan in the spring of 2023, the MSPA has undertaken significant efforts to revamp its Port Affairs department and retool its approach to engaging its community. These efforts laid the groundwork for a series of targeted initiatives, implemented since January 2024, aimed at enhancing community outreach, improving transportation safety, reducing emissions, and promoting workforce development. These initiatives reflect our dedication to building stronger, more equitable relationships with the Gulfport community and ensuring that the benefits of our operations are shared broadly and fairly.

Community Outreach and Environmental Justice
  • MSPA established the Port of Gulfport Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Tenant and Partners Advisory Committee (TPAC).
    • The CAC is comprised of a diverse cross-section of the Gulfport community. Its goal is to enhance community engagement, keep the community apprised of Port activities, seek community input, and address any concerns the community may have. The CAC meets bi-monthly and is aimed at opening dialogue between the Port and all Port-impacted members of the community.
    • The TPAC comprises Port tenants and community partners that use Port facilities and employ Gulfport community members.  The goal of the TPAC is to enhance communication between the Port and its partners and ensure the equitable distribution of the economic benefits of port activities throughout the community. 
  • MSPA contracted with WSP to assist the MSPA in its Environmental Justice, Community Engagement, and Workforce Development efforts. WSP employs experts in these fields and has made them available to assist the MSPA.
    • WSP and the MSPA have held several listening sessions with the CAC, local churches, and community leaders to gather information and hear concerns regarding MSPA’s activities. More listening sessions are being scheduled for future dates.
Workforce Development
  • A Workforce Development Plan has been drafted and MSPA presented the plan to the CAC for review and input at its August 2024 meeting. The plan will be presented to the TPAC for review and input at the September meeting. This initiative, developed with substantial community input, aims to link new job opportunities at the Port to the surrounding disadvantaged communities and to ensure a skilled workforce is available to Port partners as the Port continues to grow.
  • The plan envisions a Workforce Coalition, comprised of organizations currently doing workforce development in the community, as well as internship and scholarship programs. The goal will be to bring these groups together quarterly to collaborate efforts.
Emissions Management
  • Baseline Emissions Report: MSPA contracted with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to complete a baseline emissions report.  The report, which gives the MSPA valuable information on its current carbon footprint, will allow the MSPA to monitor progress in efforts to reduce emissions at and near the Port. 
  • The TTI Baseline Emissions report supports two MSPA applications to the EPA Clean Ports grant programs. The grant applications focus on zero-emission equipment replacement, shore power for vessels, and comprehensive emissions reduction strategies. Further emissions studies, monitoring, and extensive community engagement will be completed as part of these projects. More information on these grants can be found below.
Transportation Safety and Grant Applications
  • Safe Streets Initiative: In collaboration with the Gulf Regional Planning Commission, MSPA submitted a USDOT Safe Streets for All supplemental planning grant application. This study will enhance safety and mobility for pedestrians and other non-motorized users near port facilities and recommend strategies to mitigate truck traffic impacts. The MSPA and GRPC learned on September 5, 2024, that they have been awarded this grant.
  • EPA Climate and Air Quality Planning: MSPA submitted a grant application to the EPA for its project titled Roadmap to Emissions Reduction and Port Resiliency.  This project encompasses planning activities including additional emissions inventorying, emissions reduction strategies, and comprehensive community engagement.
  • EPA Zero Emission Technology Deployment: MSPA submitted a grant application to the EPA for its project titled The Port of Gulfport Equipment and Infrastructure Transformation Project. This project includes infrastructure development to provide vessel shore power, zero-emission equipment acquisition, and other strategies to reduce emissions and promote sustainability within the port operations. 
  • PIDP/INFRA – Intermodal Efficiency, Safety, and Expansion Project: This multifaceted project includes East Pier Expansion, East-West Rail Connector, West Pier Rail Extension, and Electrical Relocation. The East Pier Expansion incorporates infrastructure to support the future purchase of an electric tugboat to further reduce port emissions. The rail improvements encompassed in this project will support a weekly express train to the Midwest starting in late 2024 or early 2025.  The benefit-to-cost ratio of this project is extremely high, due mostly to the efficiency and emissions reductions that result from taking trucks off the road and moving cargo via rail. 
Government Engagement
  • MSPA’s CEO and Counsel traveled to Washington D.C. in June of 2024 to meet with delegation members, representatives of the White House Infrastructure Implementation team, and representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The focus of these meetings was to explain the MSPA’s new initiatives in Community Outreach, Environmental Justice, and the MSPA’s focus on Transportation Safety. 
  • MSPA leadership met with the White House Office of Public Engagement on August 13, 2024, to present MSPA’s new environmental justice and public engagement initiatives and to seek input on ways to improve the MSPA’s public engagement program. A similar meeting was held on August 20, 2024, with the US Department of Transportation’s Office of Public Engagement.
Training
  • Meaningful Public Involvement Training: MSPA Port Affairs staff attended the US Department of Transportation’s training on Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making on June 14, 2024. This training has enhanced MSPA staff’s capacity to engage effectively with the community and integrate their feedback into our decision-making processes.
  • EPA Clean Ports Program Training: MSPA Port Affairs employees have completed the EPA Community-Port Collaboration training modules.
  • MSPA staff is utilizing the USDOT Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making, the EPA Community-Port Collaboration Toolkit, and the EPA Community Action Roadmap as resources when planning outreach and engagement efforts.
MSPA Port Affairs Reorganization to Support Community Engagement
  • In March of 2024, the MSPA reorganized its Port Affairs department and added additional staff to support its community engagement and environmental justice initiatives. The department was increased to seven employees, including the addition of an Educational Coordinator and Stewardship Coordinator.
Ongoing Sustainability and Resiliency Efforts
  • Green Marine Certification: Ongoing upgrades to the Port’s Green Marine certification.
  • Living Shoreline Feasibility Studies: Conducting feasibility studies for constructing living shoreline in future West Pier expansions.
  • Offshore Wind Demonstration Project: Participating in an offshore wind demonstration project in October 2024.
  • Partnerships for Environmental Projects: Strengthened partnerships with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources for targeted environmental projects.
  • Ongoing collaborations with state universities and colleges on several initiatives, including partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University on food security.

The Mississippi State Port Authority is dedicated to advancing environmental stewardship and community engagement through proactive outreach, strategic partnerships, and sustainable practices. Our initiatives are not only focused on environmental and social responsibility, but also on providing economic vitality to the Gulfport community.

By driving sustainable development that creates high-paying jobs, the MSPA can ensure that the benefits of our operations extend far beyond the port itself, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of the entire region. As we continue to build on these efforts, we look forward to collaborating with the White House Office of Public Engagement and other stakeholders to enhance our public engagement initiatives and create a sustainable future for all.

Updated September 5, 2024

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