David Vitter News

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today commended the work of Congress to pass the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, of which the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA 2016) is included, by a vote of 78 to 21 during the lame duck session. WIIN/WRDA authorizes Army Corps of Engineers' work on locks and dams, dredging and other water resources projects. WCI applauded the efforts of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, led by Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), along with House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OH) and Ranking Member Grace Napolitano (D-CA).

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) today lauded leaders of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) and the Senate’s Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Subcommittee for their success in advancing S.2848, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016. The Senate passed its version of the legislation today by a vote of 95 to 3. “AAPA commends EPW Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) and EPW Committee and T&I Subcommittee Ranking Member Barbara Boxer (D-CA), together with T&I Subcommittee Chairman David Vitter (R-LA), for their leadership in moving this crucial, bi-partisan legislation through the Senate,” stated AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle.

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.

Legislation to reform the U.S. domestic marine recycling industry, the Ships to Be Recycled in the States (STORIS) Act, was introduced today by U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-La.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Congressman Garret Graves (R-La.) will introduce the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation aims to improve the domestic ship recycling industry and promote transparency by requiring reports from Maritime Administration (MARAD) and an audit by the Government Accountability Office. “The Maritime Administration receives millions of dollars in federal funding, but they’ve never reported how the sales money is spent or how the agency awards contracts,” Vitter said.

Port authority CEOs and senior staff from throughout the Western Hemisphere, along with maritime industry leaders, influencers and policymakers are expected to converge on Washington, D.C., April 20-21, to attend the 2015 Spring Conference of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) – the collective and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas. The annual event will feature discussions on the energy industry, cybersecurity, port cooperation, economic impacts, infrastructure funding…

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Mexico’s general coordinator of ports and merchant marine, Guillermo Ruiz de Teresa, have been jointly selected to receive the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2015 “Port Person of the Year” award. The AAPA selected Sen. Vitter and General Coordinator Ruiz de Teresa for their work toward reforming their country’s water resources development legislation, including boosting federal funding to maintain and improve their nation’s ports and harbors, as well as their efforts in creating jobs and improving economic competitiveness in the U.S. and Mexico. “Both Sen. Vitter and General Coordinator…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) presented the 14th Annual Leadership Service Awards to Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senator David Vitter (R-La.) for their “strong and continued leadership on ports and inland waterways issues,” WCI announced.    Senators Alexander and Vitter were presented their awards on February 11, 2015 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Waterways Council, Inc. WCI will recognize Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senator David Vitter (R-La.) for their “steadfast championship of the inland waterways” at its 14th Annual Leadership Service Awards on February 11. WCI will also hold its 2015 Washington Meetings, February 10-12, 2015, which include the Waterways Seminar. All events will take place at the St. Regis Hotel, 923 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 8:30 a.m. 12‐4:30 p.m. 5:30-7 p.m. 9 a.m.‐5 p.m. 5:30‐9 p.m. 8‐9 a.m. 9-11:30 a.m.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and its members and stakeholders applauded the Senate’s passage, by a vote of 76 to16, of a 9-cent increase to the barge diesel fuel user fee. The provision was a part of tax extenders legislation that was combined with the “Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE)” Act that establishes tax-favored savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The ABLE Act that included the provision to increase the user fee by 9 cents passed the House on December 3 by a vote of 404-17.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and its members and stakeholders tonight applauded the Senate’s passage, by a vote of 76 to16, of a 9-cent increase to the barge diesel fuel user fee. The provision was a part of tax extenders legislation that was combined with the “Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE)” Act that establishes tax-favored savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The ABLE Act that included the provision to increase the user fee by 9 cents passed the House on December 3 by a vote of 404-17. The user fee – currently 20-cents-per-gallon of fuel used while operating on the inland system – will be increased to 29-cents-per-gallon, effective April 1, 2015.

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.

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans awarded a $13.3 million construction contract to Metairie, La.-based Hard Rock Construction LLC today for the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal improvement project at its monthly meeting. Hard Rock Construction was the lowest of eight bidders. The 12-acre project will result in a modern and efficient intermodal container transfer terminal to facilitate the movement of marine and rail cargo, while enhancing safety and reducing the carbon footprint of the regional and national transportation system.

Last week, the Transportation Security Administration began nationwide implementation of a program that reforms the burdensome process by which mariners and other transportation workers receive required Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC). The TWIC OneVisit program eliminates the requirement that workers make two trips to a TWIC enrollment center to pick up and then activate their TWIC. Under the new, streamlined process, a mariner can apply for a TWIC at an enrollment center and opt to receive the credential by mail.

On May 22, the Water Resources Reform Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, containing major recommendations of the Capital Development Plan (CDP), was passed by a vote 91-7 in the Senate. As MarineNews was going to press, President Obama finally signed the bill into law. The conference agreement had passed the House on May 20 by an overwhelming 412-4 vote. The bill contains four key elements of the Capital Development Plan that were included in the House WAVE 4 (H.R. 1149) and Senate RIVER Act (S.

Urges President’s Signature into Law. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today celebrated the passage of the Water Resources Reform Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, containing major recommendations of the Capital Development Plan (CDP*). WCI urges the President to sign the bill into law. The conference agreement passed the House on Tuesday by an overwhelming 412-4 vote. Today’s Senate passage by a strong vote of 91-7 underscores the strong bi-partisan effort to enact the critical water resources bill.

AWO President & CEO Tom Allegretti issued a statement on behalf of U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge operators praising House and Senate leaders for their work in forging “critically needed” waterways infrastructure legislation and urged Congress to quickly pass the Water Resources Reform and Development Act and send it to the President to be signed into law. “AWO is very pleased to see that the comprehensive legislation includes a number of important provisions of the Inland Waterways…

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) says it praises the leadership of the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee for releasing the six-year MAP-21 Reauthorization Act (S. 2322) that puts a high priority on freight movement investments. “We commend Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA and Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee), Senator David Vitter (R-LA and Ranking Member of the Committee), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE and Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee) for introducing the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act…

At its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans last week, members of WISTA USA (Women’s International Shipping &Trading Association) were urged to support investment in infrastructure projects in order to maintain and grow the transportation of waterborne commerce in the United States. From U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) to Spencer Murphy of Canal Barge Company, Rick Calhoun of Cargill, Gary LaGrange of the Port of New Orleans, Joel Dupre of Southern Recycling and Colonel Richard Hansen of the U.S.

On March 13, a diverse coalition of 59 national and regional organizations representing a wide array of business, maritime and labor interests signed on to a letter to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee leadership, Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD), thanking them for cosponsoring S. 2094, a bill that would establish a uniform national framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges, and urging swift Committee consideration and approval. S. 2094, introduced on March 6 by Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), has 23 bipartisan co-sponsors, nearly one-quarter of the Senate.

The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, praised yesterday’s Senate introduction of a bill calling for the enactment of a uniform national standard for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges, legislation widely viewed as essential to ending the existing confusing, costly and ineffective patchwork of state and federal rules. AWO specifically called attention to the instrumental leadership of the bill’s lead sponsors, Sens.

On November 8, speaking at the Port of New Orleans, President Obama said “… corn and wheat is coming down from my home state of Illinois down the river, ending up here and then going all around the world. This was a victory for the inland waterways industry because while the President has recognized ports, dams, levees, trains, trucks and other transportation infrastructure, he has not, heretofore, underscored the value of the inland waterways. The President’s recognition of the…

U.S. Senator David Vitter, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined industry and Louisiana transportation officials here today for the release of a new economic impact report detailing the benefits of deepening the Mississippi River to 50 feet from its current 45-foot draft. The Big River Coalition and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development commissioned the study by noted economist Tim Ryan, PhD., entitled “The…