Baltimore bridge collapse a ‘national economic catastrophe,’ says Maryland governor – NBC Chicago

• Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday after being struck by a large cargo ship.
• The wreck blocks access to the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest ports in the United States.
• Federal and local officials said the disaster would likely impact the U.S. economy by disrupting supply chains for some products like cars.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is likely to send shockwaves through the U.S. economy as a critical transportation route for some goods remains blocked for the foreseeable future, officials said Sunday.

“This is not (just) a disaster in Baltimore, nor in Maryland. It is also a national economic disaster,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said Sunday on “The State of CNN’s “Union”.

The canal that is now blocked by the wreck is a main access point to the Baltimore Harbor, which Moore described as one of the “busiest (and) busiest” in the country.

“It’s going to impact the farmer in Kentucky. It’s going to impact the car dealer in Ohio. It’s going to impact the restaurant owner in Tennessee,” he said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed the sentiment.

“It’s important not only for the people and workers of Baltimore, but also for our national supply chains to get this port back up and running as quickly as possible,” Buttigieg said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

The bridge collapsed on Tuesday after a large cargo ship crashed into it, following a distress call shortly before the collision. Two construction workers died; four are missing and presumed dead.

An operation to remove the ship, clear debris and reopen the canal began Saturday, officials said.

“Parts of the non-federal canal are already under construction and a 1,000-ton capacity lifting crane on a barge is being put in place,” Buttigieg said. Another 600-ton crane is on the way, he added.

There is no timetable yet for when this salvage work will be completed, Buttigieg said. The timeline for rebuilding the bridge is also unclear, he added.

Federal and local officials have reiterated that the operation will be long and complex.

“We have a ship that is almost the size of the Eiffel Tower that is now stuck in the canal that the Key Bridge is on,” Governor Moore said. “And so it’s going to be a long road… But movement is happening.”

Why the Port of Baltimore is so important

The Port of Baltimore handled a record 1.1 million containers of cargo in 2023, according to state data. That makes it the nation’s ninth-busiest port in terms of trade volume with the United States, wrote Ryan Petersen, chief executive of Flexport, a supply chain logistics company.

It also handled nearly 850,000 car and light truck shipments in 2023, more than any other port for the 13^th year in a row, according to state data.

“This port is the number one port for cars and farm equipment,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”

“So this matters to people in rural North Carolina, Kansas and Iowa,” he added. “It’s important for the global economy.”

Additionally, more than 15,000 people work directly for the port, and thousands more whose livelihoods depend on it, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, said on Washington’s “This Week.” ABC.

The Small Business Administration announced Saturday that it would provide long-term, low-interest loans of up to $2 million to local small businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region affected by the bridge collapse.

The US government has granted Maryland an initial funding of $60 million to clean up the rubble. The federal government will cover 90 percent of the bridge reconstruction costs, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD. He plans to introduce legislation with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-D, to cover the remaining 10 percent, Van Hollen said.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he intends for the federal government to pay the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge and that he hopes Congress will support the effort.

Some lawmakers, however, balked at the idea. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA, called Biden’s idea of ​​using federal funds to cover the entire cost “pretty outrageous.”

With the current Congress divided, Secretary Buttigieg expressed confidence that lawmakers would approve stopgap funding on a bipartisan basis.

“If we can see Republicans and Democrats working together to pass President Biden’s infrastructure package, surely they can work together to help America and Baltimore deal with this tragedy,” he said Sunday on MSNBC.