Works Budget

More Money Given to Civil Works Budget

Waterways Council, Inc. expressed its appreciation to Congress which, in the recently completed lame duck session, passed an omnibus spending package which allocates $4.7 billion in FY 2005 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program. The bill includes $331.5 million for the Inland Waterways Users Board’s priority navigation projects – a $61 million increase over last year’s appropriations and $64.6 million over the President’s FY 2005 request for these projects. Specifically, the Omnibus Bill appropriated funds to the following critical infrastructure projects on the inland waterways system: Inner Harbor ($14.5 million); Kentucky Lock ($32.5 million); Lower Mon 2,3 &4 ($35.5 million); Marmet ($75 million); McAlpine ($68.5 million); Olmsted ($69 million); Chickamauga ($17 million); and major rehabilitation on L&D 11 ($1.5 million); L&D 19 ($4.8 million) and L&D 24 ($8.8 million). Despite last minute House-Senate negotiations, a final agreement on the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) failed to reach agreement in the lame duck session, a disappointment to the waterways industry. Even though WRDA did not pass this year, the omnibus measure contains $355,000 to continue the Upper Mississippi-Illinois Waterways navigation study and another $13.5 million in planning funds to start preconstruction engineering and design.

Ports – US Harbor Maintenance Funding

House of Congress budget debate includes discussion on problem of underfunded harbor maintenance Some detail of the discussion follows: Unlike the past several years, this year's budget debate included some discussion of the longstanding problem of underfunded harbor maintenance.  This recognition of the harbor maintenance issue by the House Budget Committee is a positive small step forward.  The text of H. Con. Res

FY’09 Federal Budget Proposal Falls Short For Ports

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) announced it is disappointed that the Bush Administration has proposed still another annual budget that would significantly underfund the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Port Security Grant Program and the portion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works Program that provides crucial navigation access to ports. While the Administration did increase its funding request for a key program that provides incentives to reduce

Shipbuilding Industry Bears Brunt of Cuts in Pentagon Budget

Strained by the demands of a major ground war and a sweeping overhaul of U.S. forces for an uncertain future, the Pentagon faces a severe budget challenge. According to the Providence Journal, while Congress and the Bush administration are working on a very large spending program for the military, the outlay for shipbuilding will be tight -- a prospect that is hurting the industry. The Navy's problem, says one Washington analyst, is not a lack of ships

AAPA: Mixed Reaction on Proposed 2013 Budget

With the release of President Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) expressed both accolades, and some disappointment, over various aspects of the budget pertaining to ports and the efficient and secure movement of freight. Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO, said that, even though the Administration’s budget includes cuts in order to meet the Budget Control Act passed by Congress last year, there are bright spots for seaports

Hearing to be Held on Coast Guard's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, will lead the Subcommittee in examining the Coast Guard's fiscal year 2008 budget, including planned capital expenditures on the Deepwater acquisition program. The Subcommittee will also receive testimony from the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security and a representative of the General Accountability Office regarding the Coast Guard's budget and recent

President’s Budget Requests Record Level of Funding for IWTF

President Bush’s FY 2007 proposed budget requests a record level of new federal funding for 11 Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed projects. The budget request proposes FY ’07 spending of $394 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which $197 million will come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law

UK Shipping Carbon Budget Decision Deferred

UK Government announce its decision on international aviation and shipping emissions. Government will defer a decision on whether to include international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets until the setting of the fifth carbon budget in 2016, by which point there should be more clarity on how aviation emissions will be tackled at an EU and global level. Last month, the European Commission proposed that it would suspend international aspects of the aviation EU Emissions

Hearing on USCG Budget Request

On June 15, the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Coast Guard of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation will conduct a hearing on the Administration’s FY2007 budget request for the Coast Guard. Source: HK Law

RF Needs $11.7B to Develop Shipbuilding

The Russian Government meeting on November 8 is to approve the strategy of development of Russian shipbuilding for the period of up to 2020. The RF Ministry of Industry and Energy acts as the state customer of the program. The federal budget and off-budget funds will be used to finance the strategic development. $11.7b is needed for this purpose. [Source: http://www.engl.fis.ru]