The Port of South Louisiana was awarded the Job Creation Project of the Year Award at the 10th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Montreal, Canada, earlier this month.

The award was presented to Port Executive Director Paul Aucoin on behalf of the Port of South Louisiana for its commitment to championing efforts to help secure federal funding for the Mississippi River Shipping Channel Dredging Project, which will help preserve and create thousands of good-paying jobs all across the nation.

The event in Montreal was widely attended by infrastructure professionals from the United States and around the globe, with more than 400 people in attendance when Paul Aucoin took home the award.

Aucoin said his efforts to ensure the deepening of the Mississippi River Ship Channel are for Louisiana and the entire nation.

“Keeping the Mississippi River fully dredged will ensure continued economic growth across the entire United States,” Aucoin said. “Most importantly, this means millions of Americans will continue to have good paying jobs. These jobs help support families, send young adults to college and ensure the wellbeing of our communities and our nation.” As an advocate of deepening the Mississippi River to continue unencumbered movement of cargo and the success of Louisiana’s — and the nation’s — economy, Aucoin said he has repeatedly traveled to Washington to meet infrastructure stakeholders.

“In Washington, I stressed that ensuring the River is open for business will stimulate impressive economic growth and generate thousands of good paying jobs for working Americans,” Aucoin said. “As a country, the Mississippi River is one of our most valuable natural resources and we must take steps to ensure its continued reliability.”

DID YOU KNOW

• One-in-five jobs in Louisiana depends on the Mississippi River, and an economic impact study done by the Big River Coalition and La. Department of Transportation and Development indicated the deepening of the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet would create nearly 17,000 new and permanent jobs.

• Although Congress authorized a 50-foot channel depth in 1985, the project was never properly funded. While ports on the east coast have been deepened to 50 feet to accommodate deep-draft vessels, the lack of attention to the Mississippi River channel continues to negatively affect ports and the industries that lie upon the largest waterway in the nation.