Baltimore has long been known and revered as an industrial powerhouse, distributing critical goods and resources across the United States and abroad. But this past year, Baltimore made headlines for a different reason — the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The tragedy underscored the national and international importance of the port.
Following the bridge’s collapse in late March, the Port of Baltimore, and its critical role in industry, was catapulted to the forefront of public discussion. Over the past several years, the port has solidified itself as one of the largest port facilities in the country, handling specialized cargo like automobiles, and most notably, coal exports from its Curtis Bay Piers facility.
Curtis Bay Piers is the second-largest coal terminal in the United States. Yet, despite the economic vitality that Curtis Bay Piers brings to Maryland, there have been some community calls to cease coal export operations at the port. From a public policy and economic development perspective, we must consider the critical investment private industry continues to make in Baltimore. Industry activity at Curtis Bay Piers and the rest of the port brings millions of dollars into Maryland’s public coffers. The Port of Baltimore and the CSX Curtis Bay Piers are too important to Maryland’s economic and community growth.
The port generates nearly $3.3 billion in total personal income, $395 million in tax revenue, and supports 139,180 jobs connected to port work, according to state data. Baltimore has been home to the coal terminal for more than a century. With Curtis Bay Piers at the heart of its Maryland operations, railroad company CSX has invested $60 million in its operations and employs almost 700 Marylanders.
If the piers were ever to be forced to close, hundreds if not thousands of workers, including some of our neighbors, would be affected. Marylanders cannot afford to lose a steady, livable wage — especially today when inflation is eating away at household incomes and the bridge collapse has already impacted many industries all along the Eastern Seaboard.
Jobs aside, the Curtis Bay terminal brings undeniable economic value to Maryland and commodity value globally. The coal from Curtis Bay is internationally important as it is an alternative for countries such as India and those outside of Europe who currently rely on Russian energy supplies.
Maryland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mary Kane in an opinion piece in The Baltimore Sun this year said, “CSX’s Curtis Bay terminal generated over $335 million in total economic value for our state … providing the port with access to $20 million annually in federal dredging dollars” that are critical to solidifying the Port of Baltimore’s access to global markets — beyond coal exports. Kane also noted the port’s vitality is crucial for “industries like CSX that contribute billions annually to Maryland’s economy.”
The calls for closure have come from a handful of “citizen scientists” claiming the air pollution is overburdening the community due to the piers’ operations. In actuality, the area is in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particle pollution. CSX has even gone as far as installing a fenceline monitoring program that goes beyond requirements enforced in their permit from Maryland Department of the Environment.
While we can appreciate active community engagement — and health and air quality should always be assessed — it is unfair and simply unreasonable to even consider closing an industry that provides thousands of jobs across the state and would strip millions of dollars connected to and from those jobs that help stabilize and grow Maryland’s economy.
The Port of Baltimore has been an important access point for 300 years. We must ensure it remains a vital and industrial port for the next 300 years.
David Byrd is a former deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and served as chief of staff to former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele.
