National Advocacy News

Jennifer A. Carpenter serves as President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry. Carpenter joined AWO in August 1990 and became President & CEO in January 2020. Before assuming her current position, she worked her way up the hawsepipe from Government Affairs Assistant to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, holding a series of progressively responsible positions including Manager-Regulatory Issues…

The year 2015 has been a busy year for The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and for the industry AWO is privileged to represent. It’s a dynamic time for a vital industry that constitutes the largest segment of the U.S. domestic fleet, as companies throughout the industry are investing heavily to meet evolving customer needs; the industry stands on the verge of historic regulatory change; and AWO pursues an active public policy agenda to support members’ needs for predictable and practicable government policy.

The Coast Guard Foundation announced that it will honor Thomas Allegretti and the American Waterways Operators (AWO), a motor lifeboat crew from Pensacola, Florida, and an aircrew from Air Station Houston, Texas at its Annual Salute to the 8th Coast Guard District on Friday, March 13th in New Orleans. The New Orleans salute raises approximately $500,000 each year to fund education, support and relief programs for the Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families.

Waterways Council, Inc., a national advocacy group for ports and inland waterways, expressed "disappointment" today in the Obama administration's proposed FY 2016 budget. “Given recent austere budget proposals for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is not surprising that the Administration has slashed FY ’16 transportation infrastructure funding," said Michael J. Toohey, the President and CEO of Waterways Council, Inc. The group highlighted the new budget's  13.25% cut in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works program and a 28.5%  reduction to the construction account as particularly problematic. They also noted that the new budget proposes $2.710 billion for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) account…

The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, announced that Jennifer Carpenter, AWO’s Senior Vice President – National Advocacy, has been promoted to the new position of Executive Vice President, effective immediately. In announcing the promotion, AWO President & CEO Tom Allegretti said, “Jennifer’s promotion to Executive Vice President is richly deserved and fully earned. She has demonstrated consistently over many…

For the second consecutive year, cadets from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are spending time on board tugboats and towboats this summer as part of a program under the auspices of the Coast Guard-American Waterways Operators (AWO) Safety Partnership. The Coast Guard Academy Cadet Towing Vessel Rider Program was established in February 2012 to educate cadets on the tugboat, towboat and barge industry through a week or more of shoreside and onboard training. This year’s program is off to a strong start…

Regulation shapes the workboat industry perhaps more than any other single factor. This regulatory seascape includes a myriad of onerous and ever-changing rules. A ‘SITREP’ on those choppy waters is therefore in order. Last December, the Coast Guard closed the public comment period following its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requiring nearly all towing vessels to obtain Certificates of Inspection under Subchapter M of CFR 46. The Coast Guard’s Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise (NCE) estimates that there are 5,800 U.S.

Friday’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reject three maritime industry associations’ challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Vessel General Permit (VGP) highlights the urgent need for Congressional action to establish a uniform and practical regulatory regime for vessel discharges, The American Waterways Operators (AWO) announced today. The VGP was developed by EPA in 2008 under the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program, designed to regulate discharges from land-based stationary sources. The permit contains baseline requirements established by EPA as well as more than 100 state- and waterbody-specific conditions required by individual states.

MarineNews spoke with Jennifer Carpenter, Senior Vice President of National Advocacy for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), about the organization’s strategic plan, how it is going about increasing public awareness for the industry and what you can do to help. What is AWO 21? AWO 21 is AWO’s strategic plan, approved by our Board of Directors in October 2009, which lays out our vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives. In other words, it describes why AWO is here, what AWO members care about, and how we’re going to spend our time and our money as a trade association.