The Louisiana Senate is set to consider a bill this afternoon that would put the Pointe Coupee Port under the control of the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.
SB 30, filed by state Sen. Rick Ward, R-Port Allen, is the first major step for the proposal in decades. The move has been intermittently considered by Pointe Coupee Parish officials since the 1990s.
Hoping to create economic development opportunities for Pointe Coupee, Ward told the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works last week the move would allow the better resourced Port of Greater Baton Rouge to take advantage the area’s river frontage and infrastructure, like railroad lines.
Moving the Pointe Coupee port under the Port of Greater Baton Rouge’s control would drive new business, infrastructure, tax revenue and industry looking to relocate to Pointe Coupee Parish, says Les Cantrell, the parish’s director of economic development.
The proposal specifically adds two additional members to the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission—raising total members to 17—to represent Pointe Coupee Parish on the board, as well as adding Pointe Coupee Parish to the jurisdiction of the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission. Further, the bill calls to abolish the Pointe Coupee Port, Harbor and Terminal District and the Pointe Coupee Port Commission.
The Senate will convene at 4 p.m.
