Congressional Committee News

An Inland River Transportation Caucus could help inland river transportation interests that are often misunderstood and greatly undervalued.For anyone doing business on the inland river transportation system, the goal is to keep the rivers open for business, the barges moving and the landside facilities efficient in order to keep America’s supply chain strong.To accomplish this, it takes the federal agencies that are charged with operating and maintaining inland rivers to have the support of congress, the funding congress allocates and legislation passed by congress.

Resilience planning, Info Sharing Take Spotlight“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That old chestnut gets turned on its head when it comes to port cyber security. It’s more like “Oh what a tangled web we’ve woven, so much harder to stop data stolen.”Ports today have the physical aspect of security pretty well nailed shut - gates, locks, fencing, alarms, cameras, drones, etc. As Chris Mason, Rajant Corp.’s director of sales for EMEA, notes, “Every…

U.S. Senate panel passes amendment to end restrictions on travel to Cuba   The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted 18-12 on Thursday to end restrictions on Americans travel to Cuba, a committee spokesman said.   Four committee Republicans joined 14 Democrats to back the amendment.   It became the first legislation to make it through any congressional committee to facilitate President Barack Obama's push to normalize relations with Cuba.     (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Bill Trott)

Republican and Democratic U.S. senators will introduce amendments to a Senate bill on Thursday that would end some major U.S. restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba, according to documents seen by Reuters. The measures being put forward at the Senate Appropriations Committee, if approved, would be the first legislation to make it through any congressional committee to facilitate President Barack Obama's push to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba. (Reporting and writing by Patricia Zengerle)

Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA , or Petrobras, will not seek bids from SBM Offshore NV while the Netherlands-based oil production ship leaser is under investigation for alleged bribery in Brazil, said Maria das Graças Foster, Petrobras' chief executive, during hearings before a Brazilian congressional committee on Tuesday. SBM is the largest leaser of oil production ships known as FPSOs. Petrobras owns or leases the world's largest fleet of oil-production ships.

Managers of the campaign, Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) submit letter to key Congressional committee leaders. The letter is in support of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC), federal policies that are crucial for sustained clean energy development. [CESA members’] state-based programs are a major driver of clean energy deployment and investment in the United States. Our latest report, The Rising Tide of State-Supported Clean Energy Projects: Project Development Results from the CESA Database…

NY1 reported that NY Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is set to speak before a Congressional committee, looking at port security. Some of the topics to be discussed include information sharing between city, state and federal authorities and what can be done to improve security standards. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard will also speak. It was also reported that local senators are planning to introduce legislation to increase federal funding for transit security. Senators Charles Schumer and Bob Menendez from New Jersey are asking for an extra $300 million for 2006. The legislation will also call for a change in the way grants are given out, making big cities like New York a higher priority in getting security funding. Source: NY1

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced steps the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is taking to implement President Bush’s executive order regarding environmental stewardship and the streamlining of environmental review of important transportation infrastructure projects. The executive order calls for a Cabinet-level task force reporting to the President through the chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that environmentally sound projects are not held up unnecessarily by inefficient review procedures. “Too many transportation projects become mired for too long in the complex web of clearances required by federal and state law.

To the dismay of some oil companies, as well as oil, freight, and passenger shipping companies, a growing number of environmental prosecutors are seeking - and winning - fines and punishments they insist are high enough to deter pollution from deliberate or even accidental oil pollution. The U.S. consistently leads the world in such prosecutions, although Canada, Australia, and a growing number of European nations are following suit. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL), the world's second largest cruise operator, has been the most prominent catch - paying more than $27 million in fines in the U.S. over the past two years. In court, RCCL…

Members of Congressional Committee to Visit Port of Houston Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security will visit the Port of Houston tomorrow. The democratic members of the congressional committee are reviewing port security strategies and tactics. The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) has applied for approximately $13 million in port security grant funds. Grants are expected to be awarded in May. Congress has approved an additional $150 million in port security grants for FY 2003. These funds will be available after the $105 million in supplemental congressional funds for FY 2002 have been awarded.