1. (a) The Inland Ports and Intermodal Development Fund is created within the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to receive appropriations from the State General Fund for the purpose of financing improvements to existing publicly owned inland ports and intermodal facility infrastructure. Funding for the grant program shall be awarded on a competitive bid basis for inland port and intermodal facility projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. Priority of funding shall be given to inland ports and intermodal facilities that have proven performance in reducing congestion on public highways and increasing tonnage at port facilities and that will enhance regional competitiveness for port operators and users. The minimum participation for local funds is 20 percent of the project amount.

2. (b) To receive funds under this article, an inland port or intermodal facility shall file an application with the department describing how the funds will be used and any other information the department may require. No application shall be approved or funds distributed unless the expenditure of funds are:

   1. (1) Directly related to capital improvements, dredging for project development in the immediate vicinity of an existing inland port, economic development of an inland port facility, or the rebuilding or rehabilitation of basic waterway and port infrastructure;
   2. (2) For a project or use directly related to intermodal infrastructure development;
   3. (3) For a purpose outside the normal operating budget of an inland port or intermodal infrastructure facility or a river-related community; or
   4. (4) For purpose of assessment or planning.
3. (c) Funding shall not be approved for routine maintenance, administrative, and operational expenses, or for the dredging of waterways within the state that are not in the immediate vicinity of an inland port facility. Additionally, the use of funding to establish or construct new inland ports, or to acquire land for new inland ports, shall not be eligible for funding unless a feasibility study and competitive analysis have been conducted and submitted for review to the department.

(Act 2024-450, §3.)