We worked closely with the Port of New Orleans to get state funding for the creation of new docks to handle container cargo. Without new facilities, the Port risked losing cargo to other Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico ports with thousands of jobs in New Orleans at stake. The combination of the Port of South Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Baton Rouge constitute the world's largest port system. But in a very competitive global economy, we were well aware that facilities that slowly become obsolete lead quickly to a serious, potentially devastating disadvantage.

New Orleans trade accounts for 107,000 jobs and $13 billion in spending statewide. Each year more than 100,000 barges pass through the Port of New Orleans. In 1998, the port was the 4th most active in the nation.

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