State Senate News

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Offshore announced that Rick Musiol, Jr. has joined the company as Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement. In this newly created position, Musiol will lead community engagement and corporate citizenship programs everywhere Vineyard Offshore has a presence.“As Vineyard Offshore expands its work on the East and West Coasts, our top priority is to be an active and engaged member of the community,” said Christian Scorzoni, Chief External Affairs Officer for Vineyard Offshore.

The biggest operational crane on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard towered over Baltimore's port on Friday, ready to begin clearing the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge days after a cargo ship crashed into it, sending the span crashing into the harbor.Crews were still surveying the damage as of midday Friday. The crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons, arrived late Thursday night and will probably start hauling debris out of the water on Saturday morning, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Carmen Carver.A second crane is en route and expected to arrive soon to assist the effort…

German energy company RWE announced it has hired Amanda Lefton as Vice President of Offshore Development, U.S. East.Lefton was previously Director of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) during a period of sigificant growth for the U.S. offshore wind industry under direction from the Biden Administration. Lefton resigned from here position at BOEM effective January 19, 2023.RWE is one of the world's largest producers of offshore wind energy, with projects in Asia, Europe and the United States.

The month of May brings a mixed bag of news for offshore wind in the United States, as outlined in the latest U.S. Offshore Wind Report from business intelligence firm Intelatus Global Partners.In the "positive" category, Intelatus said federal permitting of projects continues on schedule, and states continue to plan to procure and accommodate ever larger amounts of wind produced offshore into their onshore grids. The firm also noted that the Internal Revenue Service has clarified certain Inflation Reduction Act incentives.

The New York State Petroleum Business Tax (PBT), Article 13-A levies a tax on fuel consumption of commercial vessels operating on the waters of New York State. The PBT has long been a source of contention for operators of tug boats and towing vessels transiting New York State waters because of the difficulty to accurately calculate the tax due the state. This led to many long drawn out audits of vessel operators by the state, resulting in unacceptable additional taxes, interest and fines.Over the years, multiple efforts were made by industry groups to repeal the PBT legally without success.

America is home to some of the finest shipbuilders in the world. This industry is becoming increasingly vital to our national security as we seek to build a larger Navy capable of confronting China. Unfortunately, our shipyards are aging and are too small to expand our fleet at the pace that is needed. As lawmakers consider what to include in an upcoming infrastructure bill, I am leading a bipartisan effort to provide a significant boost to infrastructure at our nation’s shipyards.My proposal…

Last week,The Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) submitted written testimony to the Hawaii State Senate, in support of Senator Inouye's proposed bill SB1505, as discussed at a joint hearing of the Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Military Affairs.The proposed statute, SB1505, would authorize the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) to make commercial harbor facilities temporarily available as a harbor of safe refuge when the National Weather Service forecasts a tropical storm or hurricane strength cyclones…

The Port of Portland Commission today welcomed new commissioners Alice Cuprill-Comas and Gary Young. Both were earlier nominated by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed the Oregon State Senate. Cuprill-Comas of Portland is a transactional lawyer, and is currently legal counsel at Oregon Health & Science University. A member of the Oregon, Washington and Texas State bars, she was in private practice for more than 15 years, most recently as a partner at Ater, Wynne, LLC in Portland. Cuprill-Comas was named a Rising Star by Oregon Super Lawyers in 2010. Energy Company, an alternative fuels company with international operations headquartered in Seattle.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday said his transportation commissioner Jamie Fox would step down by the end of the month to return to the private sector after only a year in the position. Fox was previously a lobbyist with airline company United Continental Holdings Inc. before Christie tapped him to be transportation czar in September 2014. Federal authorities are conducting a criminal probe into the previous relationship between United, during Fox's tenure there, and David Samson, former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Federal investigators are probing flights that United added between Newark, New Jersey, and Columbia, South Carolina, near Samson's vacation home.

A Washington state lawmaker looking to ease traffic congestion for several Puget Sound-area communities near Seattle has proposed building an eye-catching new toll bridge made from retired Navy aircraft carriers. Republican Representative Jesse Young has been gathering support among colleagues and the public for the planned span, which would link Bremerton and Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula, spokesman Kevin Shutty said on Friday. "It's a bottleneck area and for a number of years people have been looking for some solutions," Shutty said. The area near where the proposed bridge would be built includes a U.S. Navy base and naval hospital, and it is home to many retired veterans from all arms of the military.

Duke Energy Corp has agreed to pay a fine of about $102 million for environmental violations related to a power plant's coal ash spill into a North Carolina river last year and the company's management of coal ash basins in the state. Duke set aside $100 million in the fourth quarter in anticipation of the settlement, the company said in an earnings statement. The U.S. Department of Justice fined the company for five Clean Water Act violations at its Dan River and Riverbend steam stations and four Clean Water Act violations at the company's H.F. Lee Steam, Cape Fear and Asheville electricity-generating plants, according to a company statement on Friday.

Infrastructure Projects: Perhaps Not So Quixotic After All? Over the course of 2014, significant steps forward were taken in the quest to find additional sources of funding for inland waterways infrastructure projects. First came the long awaited and much-celebrated Water Resources, Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) in June, which included several provisions to address the funding needs of the ever-worsening condition of the inland waterways infrastructure. WRRDA eased…

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal appointed James "Ray" Barker to the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council. Barker, of Raceland, is the Director of Human Resources at Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. The Louisiana Workforce Investment Council serves to develop a strategic plan to coordinate and integrate a workforce development delivery system to ensure efficiency and cooperation between public and private entities by advising the governor on the needs of Louisiana’s employers and its workforce.

Kentucky may be well positioned to meet a carbon emission target for power plants set by federal regulators, even as U.S. Senate candidates there blast the plan, saying it will cripple the state's coal industry. The Environmental Protection Agency seems to have listened to feedback from state officials before the rollout on Monday, said John Lyons, Kentucky's assistant secretary for climate policy. The result: the Bluegrass State may be able to meet EPA targets between now and 2030. "I appreciate EPA's stakeholder process. Undoubtedly they did listen to our concerns," Lyons told Reuters. Shedding the carbon intensity of its fleet by 400 pounds of CO2/MWh will rely on retiring coal plants and shifting to natural gas…

Approval clears way to create nation’s largest deepwater containerized cargo transfer terminal, enhancing U.S. competitiveness as Panama Canal expands. Transshipment facility off Louisiana coast intended to improve America’s strained shipping infrastructure, streamline international trade flow and create long-term jobs in 32 states. Louisiana State Senator A.G. Crowe’s vision of making America more competitive and capitalizing on the Gulf of Mexico’s deep-water resources has taken…

Former U.S. Congresswoman and maritime authority Helen Delich Bentley was honored by the Maryland State Senate for her tireless efforts to promote Baltimore's port and "make government work for all' by helping the Port realize its economic development potential. Bentley, a past chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, spoke passionately of her decades of public service on behalf of the Port in receiving the First Citizen Award on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. As maritime editor of The Baltimore Sun, she operated in "the battle zones so that our great Port of Baltimore could compete with New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk," and simultaneously produced, edited and narrated the TV series "The Port That Built a City and State," which ran for 15 years.

Harley Marine Services is  a  environmental protection and stewardship within the marine industry and has been since its founding in 1987. They have developed a robust, multi-faceted environmental management program that is innovative and designed to have participation throughout each operating area of the company including the offices, shops, tugs and barges and at every level from deckhands and clericals to the CEO. Since receiving ISO 14001 environmental certification in 2008…

According to a report from the St. Petersburg Times, Florida Gov-elect Rick Scott selected a Jacksonville shipbuilding executive and sometime lobbyist as his top environmental regulator. Herschel Vinyard Jr., 46, director of business operation for BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards, will become the newest secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, if his appointment is confirmed by the state Senate. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Tom Fry issued the following statement on Feb. “The National Ocean Industries Association applauds yesterday’s vote in the Virginia State Senate supporting energy development off the State’s Coast. The vote, backed by Governor Bob McDonnell (R-VA), demonstrates a strong bipartisan commitment by the Commonwealth to allow OCS exploration off its coast and actively work with Congress and the Administration to move forward with OCS Lease Sale 220. “Over the past five years, political leaders in Virginia’s State House, the Governor’s mansion and among the delegation in Congress have repeatedly expressed a desire to see the offshore energy resources of their state opened to development.

According to a report from PennEnergy.com, California’s legislature might vote later this week to authorize the first new oil activity off Santa Barbara in 40 years as a way to help resolve the state’s budget crisis. The proposal reportedly was part of an agreement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached on July 20 with majority and minority leaders of the state’s senate and assembly to eliminate California’s $26.3b budget deficit. It includes some $15.5b in cuts, defers other costs, and takes funds from cities and counties, several news reports said. (Source: PennEnergy.com)

The shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NSYE:NOC) were honored by the Virginia House of Delegates during a ceremony held on April 8 at the start of the Reconvened Session. The 2009 General Assembly adopted a resolution commending the employees of the company's Shipbuilding sector on the completion of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), the 10th and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier built in Virginia. During a ceremony on the floor of the House of Delegates, the final signed copy of the resolution was presented to a delegation of shipbuilders who worked on USS George H.

As previously reported, as a result of the May 2003 oil spill in Buzzards Bay in the U.S. (an oil barge grounding spilled 55,000 gallons of fuel oil, polluting 93 miles of the Massachusetts coastline), the Massachusetts legislators have introduced new legislation, which was adopted last week by both the State House of Representatives and the State Senate. The bill was now been submitted to the Massachusetts Governor for final signature. The Governor Mitt Romney has a deadline by end of this week to sign or to veto the bill. This proposed unilateral state legislation is of importance to our members since some of its provisions will directly affect their trade to Massachusetts ports.

Cruise companies would pay a fee of $50 for each passenger sailing Alaskan waters under a bill being considered by the state legislature. The bill, which passed the state Senate by a 14-6 vote and is now under review by the state House, is one of several proposals at the state and local levels to better control the burgeoning cruise ship crowds in Alaska. Over 600,000 cruise passengers visited the Inside Passage in the state's southeast panhandle last year, more than double the number recorded a decade ago. State Sen. Rick Halford, the measure's sponsor, said the fee was a bargain for companies that reap huge financial rewards selling Alaska tours. The companies pay a $10-per-passenger fee in Vancouver, British Columbia and other ports of embarkation, he said in floor debate.