A bill to amend the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, to establish a grant program to enable public ports to comply with certain Federal standards, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to undertake a comprehensive study of the present and future needs of public ports in the United States.

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Establishes a grant program to enable any State, local government, or interstate agency or other public port authority to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for financial assistance to assist such agency in making such improvements as may be required to any port operated by it in order to bring such port into compliance with any requirements relating to environmental protection, the public health and safety, or port or cargo security which may be imposed by Federal law. Defines the term "improvements". States that the Secretary may grant to the applicant all or part of the money applied for, except that no grant or aggregate of grants made under this Act to any State, local, or interstate agency or public port authority may exceed $1,000,000. Authorizes appropriations of $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 and each fiscal year thereafter for grants under this Act. Directs the Secretary to undertake a comprehensive study to determine the immediate and long-range requirements of public ports in the United States: (1) for expansion and modernization in order to meet adequately the economic and defense needs of the United States; and (2) to meet such standards as may be imposed by law for…