NOAA Sponsors Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative, May 2006

Building on the successes of Portfields pilots, NOAA and EPA are working together to bring the Portfields model to Southern Louisiana.  On May 23-24, 2006, representatives from nine ports in Louisiana met in New Orleans, LA to kick off the Southern Louisiana Regional Portfields Initiative.  The goals of this meeting were to transfer best practices and lessons learned through a Peer-to-Peer exchange between Portfields pilots and Southern Louisiana ports, establish face-to-face contacts with local, state and federal partner agencies to assist in prospective projects, and host discussions on the suite of issues most important to Southern Louisiana ports (more information...)

Portfields Year Two Report Released, November 2005

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 2, 2005 the release of the Portfields year two report, titled Portfields: Charting a Course for Port Revitalization (pdf, 1.3MB, 24 pages). The report released at the Brownfields 2005 conference in Denver, Colorado, highlights the Portfields partnership, describes accomplishments, and documents best management practices and innovative strategies that may be transferred to other ports.  The Portfields video DVD is also enclosed in the rear cover of the report.

Portfields Video Released, November 2005

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 2, 2005 the release of the Portfields video, titled Portfields: Charting a Course for Port Revitalization.  The video was introduced to a wide audience during the film festival at the Brownfields 2005 conference in Denver, Colorado.  The Portfields video highlights the Portfields initiative through visits to the three Pilot Ports (New Bedford, MA; Tampa, FL; and Bellingham, WA) -- briefly touching on their history, their challenges, the highlights of their Portfields experience, and their specific successful approaches and tools used to coordinate port community revitalization.

Brownfields 2005 Marketplace of Ideas

On Thursday, November 3, NOAA and EPA hosted a Portfields Marketplace of Ideas (MOI), a roundtable discussion of lessons learned from the Portfields initiative, at the Brownfields 2005 conference in Denver, Colorado.  Representatives from the three Pilot Ports -- the Ports of New Bedford, Tampa, and Bellingham -- discussed their experiences and issues related to port community development with other communities from around the nation.  See more about the conference: http://www.brownfields2005.org/en/index.aspx

Tampa Portfields "Commitment to Action" Meeting Held May 2005

On May 17 - 18, 2005, the Tampa Port Authority hosted their 2005 "Commitment to Action" meeting which brought together approximately twenty federal, state, local and NGO partners. The goal of this meeting was to provide updates on progress on specific projects and discuss new issues and opportunities for partners to get involved. Partners were encouraged to make specific commitments to support the Tampa Portfields pilot over the next year. Contact: Kenneth Walker for additional information.

Related Materials:

• 2005 Tampa Port Authority Project Descriptions, September 2005 (pdf, 170KB, 21 pages).
  
• Tampa Portfields Pilot: Grants and Funding Matrix. Updated October 2005. (pdf, 40KB, 7 pages).
  
• Tampa Portfields Pilot: Annual Commitments to Action Meeting Summary. Minutes from the interagency meeting. May 2005. (pdf, 60KB, 14 pages).
• Tampa Portfields Pilot: Annual Commitments to Action Summary Table of Project Recommendations and Committments. Table summarizing agency commitments. May 2005. (pdf, 22KB, 5 pages).
• Port of Tampa Project Update Presentation to Portfields Partners. May 2005 (pdf, 1539KB, 39 pages).

Portfields Report Released, September 2004

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 20, 2004, the release of the report “Portfields: A Coordinated Approach to Revitalizing Ports.” The release was announced by Dr. Richard Spinrad, Assistant Administrator for NOAA's Ocean Service and Coastal Zone Management, in St. Louis, MO at the Brownfields 2004 Conference. "The Portfields initiative is already producing on-the-ground results in each of the pilot ports," stated Dr. Spinrad. "This report highlights the early successes of the Portfields initiative and demonstrates what is possible when agencies work together and leverage resources." More than 4,000 people attended Brownfields 2004.

• Portfields: A Coordinated Approach to Revitalizing Ports (pdf, 1.9 MB, 16 pages)
  This document summarizes progress made during the first year in the Portfield pilots of New Bedford, MA; Tampa, FL; and Bellingham, WA. August 2004
  
  
• NOAA Press Release (pdf, 167 KB, 2 pages)
  
  

Portfields Panel at Brownfields Conference, September 2004

David Kennedy, Director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration moderated a Portfields Panel at the 2004 Brownfields Conference in St. Louis, MO. The panel speakers included Mayor Frederick Kalisz, New Bedford; Mike Stoner, Port of Bellingham; and Bob Musser, Tampa Port Authority. Each of the speakers discussed the first year of the Portfields initiative, highlighted the partnerships and successes, and talked about the future of Portfields in each port.

• Port of Tampa Presentation: Setting Sail - The Portfields Initiative at One Year (pdf, 2.85 MB, 32 pages)
  
  
• New Bedford Port Presentation: New Bedford, A Portfields Pilot Community (pdf, 17 MB, 20 pages)
  
  
• Bellingham Port Presentation: Revitalizing a Maritime Revitalizing a Maritime Community Under Portfields – Year One Status Report (pdf, 10.7 MB, 40 pages)