DOVER, Del. (AP)- Gov. Jack Markell is defending his administration's failed effort to try to enter into a public-private partnership with energy giant Kinder Morgan for operating the Port of Wilmington.
Houston-based Kinder Morgan said last week that it was suspending efforts to work out a lease arrangement with state officials, citing attacks and impossible demands from the leader of a local longshoremen's union.
The company's decision was a blow to the Markell administration, which was hoping to privatize operations at the money-losing port. The state has poured tens of millions of dollars in subsidies into the port in recent years, but it still needs costly repairs.
The Democratic governor said Tuesday that a deal with Kinder Morgan was not a certainty, but could have made sense for Delaware taxpayers.
