Senate Hearing News

U.S. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said at a Senate hearing Wednesday that investigators had conducted interviews with key cargo ship personnel in the investigation of the March 26 Baltimore bridge collapse.The Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it crashing into the harbor and killing six people. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the Mid-Atlantic state's shipping channel is ongoing.Homendy said investigators remained on site and had interviewed the pilots…

Hydrogen as fuel was in the spotlight during the last two weeks. The Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on February 10 looking at H challenges in the transportation, utility, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.A week later, the US House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology held a hearing titled "H2Success: Research and Development to Advance a Clean Hydrogen Future."Also, of note, the US Department of Energy published two hydrogen RFIs - "requests for information." One on "Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing…

On Capitol Hill, October 1 was the first day of 2018, at least for the federal government’s fiscal year. In theory, on 10/1, the federal budget is supposed to be finalized with appropriations – i.e., spending – established for the next year. In practice, of course, it rarely works that way. Budget deliberations frequently last through December. And even on New Year’s Eve, Congress may be forced to vote on a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating. The 2018 budget is of particular interest and it’s particularly important.

The Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies of the Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a hearing on 5 April to examine protecting midshipmen, focusing on preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.   Senator Susan Collins (R- ME) will chair the meeting.   Details of the event can be found HERE   Witnesses will include:   Mr. Joel Szabat / Executive Director / U.S. Maritime Administration Rear Admiral James Helis / Superintendent / U.S. Merchant Marine Academy The Honorable Calvin Scovel, III / Inspector General / U.S. Department of Transportation

The Philippines' territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea has not caused Manila to rebalance diplomatic ties with either its ally, the United States, or neighbouring China, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Wednesday. An arbitration court in the Hague infuriated China in July by ruling that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions there. "We want to make close friendship with China. It does not mean that we'll weaken our friendship with the United States," Yasay told Reuters during a break in a meeting of the senate foreign relations committee. On Tuesday evening, President Rodrigo Duterte said he expects talks with China over the maritime dispute within a year.

The U.S. military will work with Gulf and European partners to ensure the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the tip of the Red Sea remains open to commerce despite fighting and instability in Yemen, the head of U.S. forces in the region said on Thursday.   "We would work in conjunction with our GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) partners to ensure that those straits remain open," U.S. Army General Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing.   "It is one of our core interests to ensure that we have free flow of commerce through both straits," he added, referring to Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.     (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Susan Heavey)

Spend dollars up on dredging, cubic yards moved down. Combined with a reduction in the USACE federal budget, the situation threatens a perfect storm for domestic requirements. U.S. dredging this decade, measured in cubic yards, is only half as active as it was in the early 1960s, with maintenance down slightly since then and new work off considerably, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or USACE. The nation’s spending on dredging in unadjusted dollars has swelled tenfold since the 1960’s, however.

Expedited regulatory approval of proposed US liquefied natural gas export terminals would not lead to their immediate construction nor to near-term deliveries of US gas into Europe, panelists at a Senate hearing have said, reports Platts. Several US lawmakers want the Obama administration to quickly approve more LNG export applications in response to the crisis in Ukraine, with at least a half dozen House or Senate bills aimed at fast-tracking approvals for shipping LNG to American allies being considered.

Every year there are countless books written about leadership and management, supplemented by a mountain of similarly themed magazine articles and scholarly treatises, eagerly snapped up by legions of wanna-be bosses and officers. As a culture, we are obsessed with leadership, especially leaders as heroic figures, and we are constantly seeking the right formula to make us so. But all those would-be captains of industry – and the oceans – might find it a lot easier to step away from the stacks and take a page from a leader extraordinaire…

Chairman American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) explains  the importance of dredging to the industry & the US economy. Jerry Bridges, the American Association of Port Authorities’ Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority in his testimony informed  the hearing, entitled 'Water Resources Development Act: Growing the Economy and Protecting Public Safety', of the fundamental importance of dredging to the industry. He said:  “Having been a port director at major ports on both the East and West Coasts…

Norfolk, Va. - Amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) hosted a Senate subcommittee field hearing on energy March 12, the first time since 1960 that a Senate hearing was held aboard a Navy vessel. Senator  Jeanne Shaheen, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power, was joined by Senator Mark Warner from Virginia. Among those who addressed the two Senators were Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Former Secretary of the Navy and retired Senator John Warner. Both testified about the Navy's current strategy to reduce energy consumption and decrease its reliance on foreign oil.

According to a Dec. 14 report from Reuters, four top U.S. Navy officials appeared at a hastily arranged Senate hearing to press for approval of a $9.8b plan to buy 10 new coastal warships each from both Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Australia's Austal Ltd (ASB.AX), instead of selecting just one. (Source: Reuters)

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources conducted a hearing to receive testimony on the liability and financial responsibility issues related to offshore oil production. The committee also considered the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments act of 2010 (S. 3346) to increase the limits on liability under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) testified. Mr. Thomas Perrelli, Department of Justice, testified concerning liability and compensation under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). Mr. David Hayes, Department of the Interior, testified concerning the Department’s outer continental shelf oil and gas development enforcement program. Mr.

On March 4, the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety & Security of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation will conduct an oversight hearing on Protecting our Shores from Oil Spills. Source: HK Law

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation issued a press release stating that, on March 4, the Committee will conduct an oversight hearing to review the President’s proposed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) budget for fiscal year 2009. Source: HK Law

Pictured is Senator Boxer. On February 14, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works conducted a legislative hearing on the Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007 (S. 1499). Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) discussed the harmful air emissions from ships and the measures that would be required if her proposed legislation were enacted. Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) pointed out that adoption of MARPOL Annex VI is preferable to enacting unilateral legislation.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations conducted a hearing on possible ratification by the United States of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Following revisions to the deep seabed mining provisions of UNCLOS, the convention was signed by the United States in 1994, but no action was taken by the Senate toward ratification until now. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Committee Chair, made an opening statement generally supportive of ratification. Admiral James Watkins, USN (ret.) expressed his strong support of ratification. Source: HK Law

Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and John Breaux (D-La.) will hold a U.S. materials transportation at the University of Houston Law Center at 1:30 p.m. C.S.T., Friday, Jan. 11, 2002. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs officials. Prior to the hearing, at 11 a.m. Sam Houston (owned and operated by the Port of Houston Authority). tour, the vessel will dock back at the San Jacinto Battleground, and Sens. Hutchison and Breaux will be available to speak to media at 11:30 a.m. C.S.T. http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom/hearing.htm.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs conducted a hearing on ensuring full implementation of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations. Quick review of the prepared remarks of the Senators and witnesses fails to reveal any discussion of container screening in particular or maritime security in general. Source: HK Law

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducted a hearing on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testified that joining the Convention will serve US security interests, secure US sovereign rights over extensive marine areas, promote US interests in marine environmental protection, and give the US a seat at the table when important maritime issues are debated. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England testified that joining the Convention will preserve freedom of navigation. Admiral Patrick Walsh, US Navy, testified that joining the Convention will enhance the US ability to perform vital missions, such as interdicting terrorists, gathering critical intelligence, and securing critical economic infrastructure. (HK Law)

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation conducted an oversight hearing on Implementation of the SAFE Port Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2006. RADM David Pekoske, USCG explained Coast Guard port security efforts, including development of salvage response plans, unannounced inspections of maritime facilities, and long range identification and tracking. Ms. Maurine Fanguy, TSA, explained the significant progress made with respect to implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. Mr. Thomas Winkowski, CBP, provided information regarding the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and other programs of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Mr.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs conducted an oversight hearing on Implementation of the SAFE Ports Act. The Act assigned approximately 100 maritime security tasks. Mr. Stewart Baker, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), testified that the Department has completed half of the assigned tasks and is on track to complete most of the remainder within the statutory timeframe. He specifically cited the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI), Long-Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT), and Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) programs as high priority. He also discussed the gap between the pace of technology and the legislative mandates. Mr.

On August 1, the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Coast Guard of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation conducted a field hearing in Seattle on Reducing the Risk of Future Oil Spills. Among the various witnesses, Captain Myles Boothe, USCG testified that the majority of oil entering waters of the United States comes from land-based sources and the majority of vessel-based oil spills in the Pacific Northwest comes from recreational and fishing vessels. Mr. Dale Jensen, Washington State Department of Ecology, testified that state and regional agencies should be allowed to establish higher vessel pollution prevention standards than those utilized by the federal government. Dr.