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House Committee On Transportation And Infrastructure News

18 Dec 2023

Ask What Your Government Can Do For Your Industry (A 2023 Retrospective)

© rrodrickbeiler / Adobe Stock

John F. Kennedy’s famous locution, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but you can do for your country” remains the rallying call for civic action and public leadership. The message remains foundational to the success of the United States, particularly as we head into an election year that once again appears to be filled with divisiveness and vitriol. That said, before we flip the calendar, it is important to set JFK’s message aside for a moment and reflect upon what our political leadership in Washington…

17 Nov 2023

Bringing the Capital Construction Fund Program Ashore

© William A. Morgan / Adobe Stock

On May 5, 2023, the White House announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was “taking the next step to invest $3 billion in its Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants, improve air quality and public health in neighboring communities, and advance environmental justice.” That “next step” was the issuance of a Request for Information to inform EPA of the availability…

17 Nov 2023

Capital Construction Funds: A New Opportunity For Vessel Financing On The Inland Waterways

© Carisa Mitchell / Adobe Stock

Recent changes have opened up the Capital Construction Fund program to owners and operators of vessels on the U.S. inland waterways.Among the programs offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. maritime industry, the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program is one that has remained largely unavailable to the owners and operators of vessels on the inland waterways—until now.Created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936…

14 Oct 2021

U.S. Lawmakers Press for Action on Maritime Sexual Assault Allegations

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Transportation Department to take action to address persistent allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment made by midshipmen at the government's main school for merchant mariners.Lawmakers said a "toxic culture" had allowed sexual abuse to fester and go unchallenged at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), which works with major shipping lines to prepare new recruits for a life at sea.Senator Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Commerce Committee…

30 Aug 2021

Infrastructure Update: An Earmark By Any Other Name

Photo: Lee Roberts / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

After years of much talk but little action, major infrastructure funding from Congress now looks like it might actually happen. This in turn has prompted a restoration of the availability of earmarks, which had been, until about a decade ago, part and parcel of the congressional funding process. Within our nation’s inland waterways industry, hopes have been high that the rejuvenation of our country’s transportation infrastructure will include our inland waterborne commerce, and that…

25 Aug 2021

Dredging Up Federal Funding for Inland Ports and Waterways

(Photo: Jared Eastman / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

All signals from Washington, D.C., indicate that Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 could be a record-breaking year for inland port and waterway investment. The successful opening of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, a recording-breaking United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) budget request, positive improvements to the Port Infrastructure Development Program, and a possible bipartisan infrastructure deal, could result in billions of dollars in additional federal investment in inland ports and waterways.Opening the Harbor Maintenance Trust FundOn May 28…

09 Nov 2020

Working Out the Election’s Impact on the US Workboat Industry

© Matthew / Adobe Stock

By the time this article is published, voting will have concluded in the 2020 United States presidential election. Based on the possibility of legal challenges to the election, however, it may be some time before we know who will be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 2021. Additional uncertainty may linger with regard to control of the Senate. However, beyond the general spectacle of American politics, an important question remains: What does this election mean for the U.S.

08 Sep 2020

Congress Eyes Maritime Economic Relief

© Ruslan / Adobe Stock

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted in March 2020, provided relief to numerous industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Air carriers, for example, benefitted from the creation of a $25 billion Treasury direct loan program, in addition to a $25 billion worker support program that provides a mix of grants and loans to cover employee wages, salaries and benefits. In addition, Congress waived the small business affiliation rules for businesses…

22 Jul 2020

Congress Lines Up COVID-19 Relief for the Maritime Industry

© Christopher Boswell / Adobe Stock

New legislation passed through Congress aims to provide relief to the U.S. maritime industry during national emergencies such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters.Introduced July 9 by the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), The Maritime Transportation System Emergency Relief Act (MTSERA) would establish…

15 Jul 2020

WRDA 2020: 'A Step in the Right Direction'

File photo: A tow exits the east lock of the Colorado River Lock system near Matagorda, Texas. (Credit Simon DeSoto, Colorado River lockmaster / courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, Wednesday. The legislation, which provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Civil Works missions, now heads to the House Floor for a vote.Maritime trade groups Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and the American Waterways Operators (AWO) applauded the House T&I bill (H.R.

08 Jul 2020

Zea Named WCI President & CEO

Tracy R. Zea (Photo: WCI)

Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Tracy R. Zea as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. He will assume the new duties effective today.With a broad range of Capitol Hill, policy development and government relations expertise, Zea most recently served as WCI’s Vice President-Government Relations, advocating for WCI’s goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern, efficient, reliable inland waterways transportation system.

29 Oct 2019

Full Utilization of HMTF Passes in U.S. House

Photo: Dredging Contractors of America

This evening the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a recorded vote the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), H.R. 2440. The vote was 296 in favor and 109 opposed. The voting required a two-thirds super majority of the House in order to pass under “suspension of the rules.”There were  seventeen (17) bills presented in the House of Representatives today with fifteen (15) bills passing by voice vote. The Full Utilization of the HMTF was one of two bills…

23 Oct 2019

DCA to U.S. House: Fully Utilize HMT Fund

William P. Doyle, CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA)

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to consider H.R. 2440, Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund bill on Monday October 28, 2019. The bill may be presented in the House under “suspension of the rules.”“We strongly support the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for intended purpose,” said William P. Doyle, CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). “This bipartisan bill makes it easier for Congress to appropriate any funds collected in the Trust Fund for authorized harbor maintenance needs…

07 Mar 2019

On the Hill: Advocacy for Domestic Maritime

File Image: AdobeStock / © sunnyS

Bipartisan Congressional Leaders Highlight Importance of Jones Act, Employing 650,000 Americans incl. Veterans, for National & Economic Security. Following the signing of an Executive Order by President Donald J. Trump to create an easier pathway for veterans to transition into maritime careers in the U.S. Merchant Marine, congressional and maritime leaders convened for two hearings exploring the state of the domestic maritime industry and the role of the Jones Act. These hearings…

11 Oct 2017

Marine Casualty Investigation

Dennis Bryant

In the realm of marine casualty investigations the allocation of blame should be secondary to marine safety. There are three important criteria for marine casualty investigations to be of value to the maritime industry. First, the report must be completed promptly. It does little good to see for the first time the report on a casualty that occurred three or more years ago. Second, the report must be publicly disseminated. The best report is of little value if it is available only to the principals. Third, the report must focus on the root cause of the casualty.

01 Aug 2016

Op/Ed: Fix the HMTF Now … or in 2027

Shane Skelton

The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) has been misused and underutilized for years, leaving U.S. ports and harbors in subpar conditions and disadvantaging the very shippers that pay to modernize and maintain them – to the tune of nearly $2 billion per year. In May, the U.S. House of Representatives’ (House) Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) took a major step in the right direction by passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, which among other things…

23 Sep 2015

Insights: Tracy Zea, Director-Government Relations, WCI

Tracy R. Zea

Washington-based Tracy R. Zea advocates for Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern, efficient, and reliable inland waterways transportation system. Zea also works to enhance WCI’s stakeholder relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers while additionally tracking implementation of WRRDA legislation and ensuring that WCI’s views are reflected in the outcomes. Before joining WCI, Zea served on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) for five years.

16 Jul 2015

WCI Names Zea as Director

Tracy Zea (Photo: WCI)

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has named Tracy R. Zea as its Director-Government Relations, effective August 4. He will be based in the Washington, D.C. office and will primarily advocate for WCI’s goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern, efficient, and reliable inland waterways transportation system. Zea will also work to enhance WCI’s stakeholder relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He will also be responsible for tracking implementation of WRRDA legislation and ensuring that WCI’s views are reflected in the outcomes.

10 Apr 2015

Garamendi Calls for US Shipbuilding Revitalization

"We're going to build in America and Make It In America one ship, two ships, one hundred ships at a time," Garamendi said at Bay Planning Coalition Meeting.

Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Calif.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, spoke at the Bay Planning Coalition’s 2015 Decision Makers Conference. Garamendi's speech focused on America's pivotal opportunity to create thousands of American jobs by revitalizing America's shipbuilding industry. "We're not building big ships in the United States except for the U.S. Navy. These are strategic national assets," Congressman Garamendi said.

27 Mar 2015

Garamendi Introduces Bipartisan GPS Backup Bill

Congressman John Garamendi

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…

11 Jun 2014

John Garamendi Advocates 'Buy America' T-HUD Amendments

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) has offered amendments to the FY 2015 Transportation Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Act that would spur the growth of U.S. jobs by strengthening Buy America laws. The Congressman expressed the view that the requirement that federal taxpayer dollars are spent on U.S. manufacturing is currently too weak causing the outsourcing of thousands of jobs. Garamendi’s amendments would close loopholes in the law, so that money invested in public works would stay at home. While Garamendi fought to create American jobs and boost economic growth, the Appropriations bill itself would take this nation in the opposite direction, he felt.

11 Sep 2014

Growing American Shipping Act Gaining Support

Legislation promotes revitalization of maritime industry through export of liquefied natural gas on U.S. Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member John Garamendi (D-Calif.) held a hearing Wednesday that brought together the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to address “The status of the Merchant Marine”. The hearing focused attention on H.R. 5270, the bipartisan Growing American Shipping Act or GAS Act, which would promote the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on U.S.-flag vessels. Witnesses at the hearing voiced support for the legislation and efforts to increase the use of U.S. flag ships in the foreign trade. Ranking Member Garamendi said, “The U.S.

21 Mar 2014

AAPA Upcoming Spring Conference: Ex-Im Bank Chairman to Speak

Image courtesy of Port of New Orleans

The American Association of Port Authoritiesred (AAPA) informs that Fred. P. Hochberg, chairman and president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, has agreed to serve as the luncheon presenter on Tuesday 25, March at its 2014 Spring Conference in Washington, D.C. Mr Hochberg's presentation will follow a number of other high profile speakers, including U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee; U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Riatt; M. Gen. John W.