Special to the American Press 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., toured the Port of Lake Charles as part of a Southwest Louisiana visit Wednesday.

Johnson, the area U.S. Congressman who is the first Speaker of the House from Louisiana, was given a firsthand look at the port’s capacity, capability and opportunities for future growth. The port is a top-10 U.S. port that had record cargo in key sectors last year.

To tour the port, Johnson skipped his escorted black SUV and instead rode the charter bus with everyone else. Along the way, he stepped off to:

• Tour the City Docks to watch cargo transfers and talk with port workers about jobs and the local economy.

• Talk about safety and security at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Marine Division facility and meet representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

• See the turning basin at the Industrial Canal.

• View the loading of heavy modules for industrial projects and view port expansion projects.

Johnson’s visit comes as the Port of Lake Charles is rising to national and global importance. It’s now a top-10 U.S. port of terms of sheer tonnage, carrying 64.1 million tons of cargo in 2022 — and setting still more cargo records in 2023. The port and Calcasieu Ship Channel host more than 1,000 deep-draft vessels annually. That includes 333 LNG vessels — because Southwest Louisiana is the No. 1 liquefied natural gas export site in the world.

The speaker learned from Executive Director Richert Self and other port officials that the port generates $39 billion in national economic value annually and has $41.5 billion in announced channel dependent projects.

The port also has its own Congressional priorities — and they center on funding.

Pending before Congress are:

• Fiscal year 2025 operations and maintenance funding of $31.7 million. The amount is included in Senate appropriations bills.

• Fiscal year 2025 construction funding of $18 million. The full amount is included in both House and Senate appropriations bills.

The port also seeks funding to deepen the channel and extend a jetty. Also, its asks for fiscal year 2026 are  $58.9 million for operations and naintenance and $18 million for construction.