The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allocated approximately $70 million from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to the Port of Los Angeles for harbor maintenance, seismic resiliency and navigational safety improvements. The San Pedro Bay port complex was allocated a record $131.8 million.
The Port plans to use its HMTF allocation for a variety of maintenance and repair projects, including dredging, seismic safety upgrades, wharf and fender repairs, pile replacements, sediment removal and remediation, and improvements to slips and channels. The Port of Los Angeles has identified more than $6 billion in eligible expanded-use projects, many of which are shovel-ready and can immediately utilize new HMTF funding.
Priority projects include:
Berths 49-50 Wharf & Fender Repair – $25 million
Berth 305 Wharf Retrofit – $18 million
Berth 126 Wharf Seismic Upgrade – $322 million
Berths 238-239 Marine Oil Terminal Improvements – $35 million
Berths 167-169 Marine Oil Terminal Improvements – $44 million
Legacy Sediment Removal & Remediation – $140 million
With these projects ready to move forward, the Port stands fully prepared to put its HMTF allocation to work immediately.
The HMTF is funded by a commercial cargo tax paid by U.S. importers moving goods through U.S. ports. This money is then allocated for harbor maintenance and navigation improvements at those ports. Although the Port of Los Angeles and other “donor ports” contribute over half of the total funding to the HMTF, they have traditionally received less than 3% of that funding back for harbor improvements.
Reforms enacted in 2020 established a framework to address this imbalance and an initial round of funding was allocated to donor ports in Fiscal Year 2024. However, no funding was allocated in Fiscal Year 2025, leading to additional reforms enacted this year that ensure consistent implementation of this equitable funding formula.
Congress has appropriated $3.245 billion in HMTF funding for Fiscal Year 2026, and appropriated $$416.8 million specifically for donor and energy ports through Section 102 of the Water Resources Development Act.
“After years of donor and energy transfer ports being shortchanged, I’m pleased to see the Army Corps finally implementing the reforms Congress enacted in 2020 to ensure these ports receive their fair share,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “When I raised this directly with Assistant Secretary Telle earlier this year, he committed to following the law—and this funding reflects that commitment. These investments will allow the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move forward on critical infrastructure and maintenance projects, including seismic upgrades, wharf repairs, and other essential improvements that keep our supply chains strong and resilient.”
