Coast Guard And Maritime Transportation Subcommittee News

In November the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing on “Commercial and Passenger Vessel Safety: Challenges and Opportunities.” Testimony covered a range of issues, from recent tragedies such as the Conception dive-boat disaster to antiquated maritime laws.Hearing witness list:Rear Admiral Richard V. Timme, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, United States Coast GuardThe Honorable Richard Balzano…

The U.S. Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), will hold a hearing next week on U.S. Coast Guard mission needs and a recently completed Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of how the Service allocates its resources.   The GAO report, entitled Coast Guard: Actions Needed to Improve Strategic Allocation of Assets and Determine Workforce Requirements, reviewed the extent to which the Coast Guard employs an effective process to strategically allocate assets to meet its mission responsibilities.  The release of the GAO report will coincide with Tuesday’s hearing.   The Subcommittee hearing, entitled, “Coast Guard Mission Needs and Resources Allocation,” is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, 2016.

On April 14 in testimony before the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Tom Allegretti, President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO), will press for continued defense of the Jones Act and a uniform federal framework for vessel discharge regulation. The hearing will focus on the status and implementation of maritime transportation safety and stewardship programs and rulemakings. The Jones Act…

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), the Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, introduced the bipartisan National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Resilience and Security Act of 2015, H.R. 1678. H.R. 1678 would require the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Secretary of Transportation, to establish and sustain a reliable, land…

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) and a broad-based coalition of organizations that rely on marine vessels to transport essential cargoes said a uniform national framework for the regulation of vessel discharges is urgently needed. The coalition called upon the Senate Commerce Committee to move quickly to approve S.373, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). In a letter to Senators Thune and Nelson, respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, the coalition stated that vessel discharge reform legislation would rectify an untenable situation “by establishing a uniform…

The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) issued a statement regarding Senator John McCain’s proposal allowing foreign-built vessels to take over marine transportation in the United States, stating the amendment would gut U.S. shipbuilding while outsourcing jobs and security. “Senator McCain has proposed an amendment to eliminate a cornerstone of U.S. maritime policy that dates back to the founding of our nation. The reservation of domestic transportation to U.S.-built vessels ensures the existence and viability of America’s shipbuilding industrial base.

The United States Congress this week enacted the strongest statement of support for the Jones Act and the American domestic maritime industry since the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. The measure was included as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3979), which noted that the national security benefits of the domestic maritime industry and the Jones act are “unquestioned.” The bill states that the Jones Act and the American domestic maritime industry are vital to “the national security and economic vitality of the United States and the efficient operation of the United States transportation system.” The legislation has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by the President.

Following its usual summer break over August 2014, Congress came back from its five-week summer recess and spent a whopping eight days or so back in session before recessing once again, approximately a week early, to hit the campaign trail for the November elections. This essentially means that including the summer recess, Congress will have been in session for a total of about eight days between the end of July and the middle of November 2014. No wonder why Congress has not been able to accomplish much this year, to date.

The American Waterways Operators, a 350-member trade association representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hailed the House introduction of critical vessel discharge legislation yesterday, praising the leadership of sponsors Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman, and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Bipartisan cosponsors include Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), Bill Enyart (D-Ill.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), David Jolly (R-Fla.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Cedric Richmond (D-La.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Don Young (R-Alaska). H.R.

The American Waterways Operators, a 350-member trade association representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hailed the House introduction of critical vessel discharge legislation yesterday, praising the leadership of sponsors Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman, and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Bipartisan cosponsors include Reps. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Bill Enyart (D-IL), Gene Green (D-TX), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), David Jolly (R-FL), Walter Jones (R-NC), Blaine Leutkemeyer (R-MO), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), and Don Young (R-AK). H.R.

Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) informs that The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing today on America’s domestic maritime industry with a special focus on how the industry is responding to America’s surging domestic energy production. Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), testified that the state of America’s commercial shipbuilding industry is strong, more vibrant than ever, and that U.S. shipyards are experiencing dramatic growth as a result of the shale oil revolution and record levels of new vessel construction orders and deliveries. "The state of the U.S. commercial shipyard industry is the strongest it has been in decades,” said Paxton.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure’s Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 5270, the Growing American Shipping Act, which aims to modernize U.S. LNG shipping export laws and strengthen the maritime industry. The Subcommittee’s Chairman, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA-50), joined the legislation as an original cosponsor. Existing law, written before the natural gas boom when it was thought America would be a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement a program to promote the transportation of imported LNG on U.S.-flag vessels.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure’s Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, informs ot the introduction of  H.R. 5270, the 'Growing American Shipping Act', to strengthen the U.S. maritime industry. The Subcommittee’s Chairman, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA-50), joined the legislation as an original cosponsor. Existing law, written before the natural gas boom when we thought America would be a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement a program to promote the transportation of imported LNG on U.S.-flag vessels.

Committee leaders today introduced bipartisan legislation that authorizes the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to carry out its vital missions, improves USCG mission effectiveness, helps replace and modernize aging Coast Guard assets in a cost effective manner, enhances oversight, and reduces inefficiencies to save taxpayer dollars. Additionally, the bill strengthens U.S. maritime transportation, reduces regulatory burdens to create jobs and encourage economic growth and improves the Nation’s competitiveness. The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 (H.R.

In testimony before Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Tom Allegretti, President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators, urged Congress to push for the expeditious publication of U.S. Coast Guard regulations on towing vessel inspections, also known as Subchapter M. Noting that Congress directed the Coast Guard to undertake this rulemaking more than nine years ago and that the deadline for issuing a final rule has long passed, Mr. Mr.

Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation ranking member Garamendi warns resources will be severely slashed, significantly hampering maritime commerce. During the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing yesterday, Ranking Member Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield) exposed that cutbacks to basic maritime services caused by the sequester will significantly hit our economy. Under questioning from Congressman Garamendi, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations…

On June 27, I testified on behalf of the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) before the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee at a hearing that questioned the Administration’s skirting of the Jones Act during last summer’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) drawdown. Members of Congress were keenly interested in understanding how the Administration authorized waivers for foreign flag ships to carry U.S. oil between U.S. destinations when American vessels crewed…

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL) announced the Committee will conduct a hearing to review cruise ship safety in light of the recent Costa Concordia incident in the Mediterranean Sea. “The Costa Concordia tragedy is a wakeup call for the United States and international maritime organizations to carefully review and make certain we have in place all appropriate standards to ensure passengers’ safety on cruise ships,” Mica said. “In general, cruise travel is a safe form of transportation and an important jobs provider for the nation’s economy.

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry, urged members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to enact legislation that establishes a national framework for the regulation of vessel discharges at a Congressional hearing yesterday morning. Testifying before the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittees on behalf of the Shipping Industry Coalition, AWO President & CEO Thomas Allegretti told lawmakers that the current patchwork of authorities with respect to vessel discharges regulation is antithetical to environmental protection and economic growth. Under the current system, the U.S.

After a nearly 20-year wait since the original issuance of the OPA-90 regulatory package, the American Salvage Association (ASA) expressed its recognition for the final implementation of Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations (SMFF), 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart I, for tank vessels that went into effect on February 22, 2011. From the Exxon Valdez spill that prompted OPA-90, to the 1996 promulgation of Vessel Response Plan (VRP) regulations requiring contracts with Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSRO), to the first public workshop held by the Coast Guard in 1997 to address the need for well-defined salvage regulations, to the final rule being published on December 31, 2008, the road to final implementation has been long.

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hails the enactment of provisions in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-281) that bring the industry one step closer to a historic towing vessel inspection regulation to improve safety in the towing industry. Section 701 of the Act requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding inspection requirements for towing vessels” no more than 90 days from the date of enactment, a provision strongly advocated by AWO. The law requires that a final rule be issued no more than one year after the enactment date.

The American Salvage Association (ASA) awarded its Rapid Response Award on October 6, 2009 to Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Chairman of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. The award was presented to Congressman Cummings in Arlington, Virginia, during the ASA co-sponsored National Maritime Salvage Conference, and was given for his leadership of the Subcommittee, his bold initiative and unwavering commitment to the publication of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Salvage and Marine Fire-fighting Regulations last December…

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, introduced H.R. 2651, the Maritime Workforce Development Act, which would create a recruitment, training, and student loan program to attract the next generation of workers to jobs in the maritime industry. “Many of the men and women who comprise our maritime industry will soon be entering retirement, and it is important that we have the tools and resources in place to bring in the next generation of mariners,” Congressman Cummings said. Mariners rarely enroll in traditional 2- or 4-year educational programs, instead taking frequent, multi-week courses designed to certify them for specific new qualifications.