SCHUMER SECURES CRITICAL NEW REACH STACKER, DUMP TRUCK, GENERATORS SECURITY CAMERAS FOR PORT OF OSWEGO NEW EQUIPMENT WILL HELP PORT OF OSWEGO EXPAND CAPACITY, INCREASE TRAFFIC, AND IMPROVE PORT SECURITY

Today, at the Port of Oswego, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer met with the newlyinstalled Director of the Port of Oswego and announced that he has secured on behalf of the Port a new reach stacker - a piece of equipment like a forklift used to unload heavy cargo - a new dump truck, and two new generators.  Schumer secured this new equipment from the Federal Surplus Property Program, which offers public law enforcement agencies like the Port Authority the chance to acquire used equipment.  Schumer also announced that, after his push, the Port of Oswego has been awarded a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Port Securities grant to install four new security cameras, giving port officials a 360degree view of Port activities.  The new security feature makes the Port of Oswego the most secure port in the Great Lakes system, which is all the more important because the Port is the first international port of call from the Great Lakes on the St. Lawrence.

These improvements come on the heels of a $1.5 million TIGER Grant that Schumer helped secure to fund the rehabilitation of the rail link that connects the Port of Oswego to local distributors and transportation networks. Schumer said the new equipment and infrastructure projects will help the Port increase its capacity, improve the transportation links to and from the port, and make the port more secure - all of which will increase the Port's contributions to local economic growth.

"With this new equipment, we are one step closer to making the Port of Oswego the prime port in the Eastern Great Lakes.  Increasing the Port's capacity and security means more shipments can travel through Oswego and deliver economic benefits to the whole region; already the Port pumps over $1 billion into the local economy," said Schumer.  "The new security cameras will make Oswego the most secure port in the entire Great Lakes system, ensuring that Oswego will be the goto location for highsecurity shipments.  What's more, the reach stacker will allow heavy cargo shipments to more easily unload at Oswego and send their goods off to market.  This new equipment is simply a pile of good news for the port, which is now poised to accept more shipments and grow in prosperity."

Schumer, joined by Zelko Kirincich, Executive Director of the Port of Oswego, Oswego Mayor Tom Gillen and port board members, announced that he has secured several key items for the Port of Oswego. Schumer first announced that he was successful in getting a transfer of a specialized forklift - known as a container reach stacker - from the federal government's surplus equipment program.  The Port Authority - a state entity - was eligible to apply for the surplus equipment, and Schumer helped push it through. The forklift will be used to handle and shift containers at the port, in a way that the Port of Oswego does not currently have the capacity to do. Specifically, the Port lacks any ability to handle containers of overweight shipments like aluminum, without renting a crane from an outside contractor, which poses an unnecessarily large expense to the Port.  In addition, the Port will receive a new dump truck and two new generators from the Federal Surplus Property Program to add to their existing capacity.

Schumer also announced that the Port would be receiving a DHS Port Securities Grant that will fund the purchase and installation of four new security cameras at the Port.  The Port of Oswego had applied for this grant in collaboration with the City of Oswego Police Dept., the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Border Patrol. The grant will provide $20,000 for four additional security cameras that would give port security a 360degree view of the entire port and allow them to share data with local and federal law enforcement. Stationing four additional cameras at Oswego would bring the total amount of security cameras to thirty, and make the Port of Oswego the most secure port in the Great Lakes System.

Schumer explained that the Port of Oswego is a highlytrafficked international port of call, which puts a premium on security.  The additional security cameras and ability to quickly share data with other law enforcement agencies safeguards the Port of Oswego and allows them to handle highersecurity shipments, thus boosting their overall economic potential.  Trade through the Port of Oswego, as well as the direct and indirect employment it generates in the region, creates over $1 billion in local economic activity according to estimates from last year.

Schumer has long advocated for upgrading the infrastructure both at the Port of Oswego and its surrounding transportation systems.  In 2011, Schumer fought hard to secure over $160,000 of homeland security funding which allowed the Oswego port to build and install a 17camera Integrated Surveillance System at the Port of Oswego Authority.  At the time, Schumer argued that because the investment in a hightech Integrated Surveillance System at the Oswego Port was accessible to all levels of law enforcement, it constituted a major step towards increasing safety and emergency preparedness in Oswego Harbor. The funding came at a crucial time when other cuts might have impacted preparation for a local or national emergency, but the award helped to ensure that the port remained safe and secure. It has helped expand port recovery and resiliency capabilities; and further capabilities to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other nonconventional weapons.

Last year, Schumer secured a $1.5 million DOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant to help the Port upgrade its deteriorating rail link.  The grant will allow the port to make critical upgrades to infrastructure and equipment so that it can meet future shipping demands, increase productivity, and preserve its role as a critical resource for businesses throughout Central New York and even across the globe.  Schumer had personally met with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to urge him to select the Port of Oswego for TIGER funding.  The Port will use this funding to upgrade rail along the docks, which customers like Trafigura aluminum and Goldman Sachs rely on, and that has deteriorated to the point of shutting down. What's more, the grant will allow the port to leverage $1.75 million in matching funds to bring the total investment in infrastructure upgrades to $3.2 million. The Senators noted that the project would create close to 100 construction jobs and prepare the regional port for a new era of increasing shipping demands.