New Law Updates Makeup Of Pittsburgh Port Commission
A bill changing the makeup of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission has been signed into law.
The bill, Act 161 of 2022, reduces the commission from 16 members to 13. It retains the current four legislative appointments as well as the four members appointed by the governor. The remaining five members will include three appointed by the governor from a list of nominees submitted by the Southwestern Regional Planning Commission, one member nominated by the port’s executive committee and appointed by the port’s board and one member appointed by the governor from a list of nominees submitted by the port’s board.
“This is great news on the final passage by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and signing of SB 1199 by Governor Wolf,” said Mary Ann Bucci, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. “We’ve worked hard in recent years to modernize our aging locks and dams’ infrastructure, and this legislation helps us to modernize the composition of our governing body. Furthermore, it expands the current 12-county port district to now include Cambria County. We are grateful for the leadership of Sen. Devlin Robinson in steering this legislation through the General Assembly and appreciate the support which it has received throughout the process from both Senate and House leadership.”
Previously the port’s newsletter had called the legislation “an exciting opportunity for the port to expand its reach and to finally make its member counties contiguous.”
The legislation was unanimously voted out of the Senate and House Transportation Committee before being forwarded to the House for consideration and then signed into law in early November.
200 Miles Of Waterways
The Port of Pittsburgh Commission encompasses all 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways in southwestern Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1992.
“Pittsburgh’s famous three rivers have long served as Pennsylvania’s ‘gateway to the West,’ and the Port of Pittsburgh Commission plays a vital role in connecting our region’s businesses with the funding necessary to expand commercial use of these waterways,” said Robinson, who sponsored the bill in the Pennsylvania senate and serves on the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. “I am pleased to sponsor the first upgrade to the commission’s board membership in over 25 years to provide for improved and more efficient operation.”
