Posted:
June 11, 2014
Water Resources Reform and Development Act a victory for maritime transportation
The President has signed into law the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 after the House of Representatives and the Senate overwhelmingly approved the conference report for the legislation in May. Among other things, the new law prioritizes dredging operations in the Great Lakes Navigation System (GLNS) and authorizes increased expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for dredging projects.
"The WRRDA conference report is a victory for the maritime industry and the U.S. economy, and for Great Lakes shipping in particular," said AMO National President Tom Bethel. "We have fought hard for many years to achieve these objectives and this victory would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the Great Lakes congressional delegation, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the legislative staffs of AMO and AMOS, and the AMO membership's strong support of the Voluntary Political Action Fund."
A key feature of the authorization legislation is an increase in expenditures of revenues deposited in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) for their intended purpose, beginning at 67 percent in 2015 and building to full utilization by 2025. Currently, only about half of the proceeds of the Harbor Maintenance Tax are allocated from the HMTF for dredging projects, while the fund's surplus and the level of sediment clogging U.S. harbors and shipping channels grows.
The conference report also defines the GLNS as a single system, which helps prioritize dredging projects on the Lakes to restore navigational features to project depths. The legislation also requires that a portion of national harbor maintenance expenditures be targeted on GLNS projects.
The conference report is a compromise measure combining the Water Resources Reform and Development Act approved by the House and the Water Resources Development Act approved by the Senate.
"This legislation supports our water transportation network to keep our nation competitive, improve the flow of commerce, and provide a foundation for job growth," said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). "WRRDA is also the most policy and reform-focused measure of its kind in decades, and the most fiscally responsible water resources bill in history."
"The Water Resources Reform and Development Act will not only improve our nation's economic competitiveness as a whole, but also ensure that the Great Lakes maritime network is treated as a unique system when determining project priorities," said Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. "The Great Lakes are vital to our country and ensuring that they receive the necessary resources is very important."
Nationwide, the legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out its missions to develop, maintain and support vital port and waterways infrastructure needs, and support effective and targeted flood protection and environmental restoration needs. The measure will benefit Great Lakes harbors and ports, where dredging needs have languished for years.
"More than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clog the Great Lakes Navigation System," said James Weakley, president of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. "Vessels have not been able to carry full loads since 1997, and that was only because water levels were at near record highs that year. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has a surplus of more than $8 billion. This WRRDA will require the government to steadily increase national harbor maintenance funding, reaching 100 percent of HMTF revenues by 2025. The bill also directs the Corps to recognize the interdependence of Great Lakes ports, large and small, and to manage them as a single, comprehensive system, with the focus more on regional economic impacts and less on annual tonnage measurements. The WRRDA also formally defines the Great Lakes Navigation System so that Federal funding can be appropriated only for use within that system."
The conference report, and the original bills in both the House and the Senate, were the results of strong bipartisan efforts. The task force noted the work of Representatives Gibbs, Candice Miller (R-MI) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) in ensuring the needs of the Great Lakes were addressed.
Don Cree, who served as the 3rd vice president of the task force at the time the WRRDA conference report was approved by Congress, also praised Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) for his efforts.
"Although Senator Levin was not on the conference committee, he played a leading role in crafting the Senate version of the bill and made sure the foundation had been laid for a WRRDA that puts the trust back in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund," he said.
New law prioritizes Great Lakes dredging needs, authorizes increased use of HMTF
Water Resources Reform and Development Act a victory for maritime transportation
The President has signed into law the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 after the House of Representatives and the Senate overwhelmingly approved the conference report for the legislation in May. Among other things, the new law prioritizes dredging operations in the Great Lakes Navigation System (GLNS) and authorizes increased expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for dredging projects.
"The WRRDA conference report is a victory for the maritime industry and the U.S. economy, and for Great Lakes shipping in particular," said AMO National President Tom Bethel. "We have fought hard for many years to achieve these objectives and this victory would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the Great Lakes congressional delegation, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the legislative staffs of AMO and AMOS, and the AMO membership's strong support of the Voluntary Political Action Fund."
A key feature of the authorization legislation is an increase in expenditures of revenues deposited in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) for their intended purpose, beginning at 67 percent in 2015 and building to full utilization by 2025. Currently, only about half of the proceeds of the Harbor Maintenance Tax are allocated from the HMTF for dredging projects, while the fund's surplus and the level of sediment clogging U.S. harbors and shipping channels grows.
The conference report also defines the GLNS as a single system, which helps prioritize dredging projects on the Lakes to restore navigational features to project depths. The legislation also requires that a portion of national harbor maintenance expenditures be targeted on GLNS projects.
The conference report is a compromise measure combining the Water Resources Reform and Development Act approved by the House and the Water Resources Development Act approved by the Senate.
"This legislation supports our water transportation network to keep our nation competitive, improve the flow of commerce, and provide a foundation for job growth," said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). "WRRDA is also the most policy and reform-focused measure of its kind in decades, and the most fiscally responsible water resources bill in history."
"The Water Resources Reform and Development Act will not only improve our nation's economic competitiveness as a whole, but also ensure that the Great Lakes maritime network is treated as a unique system when determining project priorities," said Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. "The Great Lakes are vital to our country and ensuring that they receive the necessary resources is very important."
Nationwide, the legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out its missions to develop, maintain and support vital port and waterways infrastructure needs, and support effective and targeted flood protection and environmental restoration needs. The measure will benefit Great Lakes harbors and ports, where dredging needs have languished for years.
"More than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clog the Great Lakes Navigation System," said James Weakley, president of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. "Vessels have not been able to carry full loads since 1997, and that was only because water levels were at near record highs that year. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has a surplus of more than $8 billion. This WRRDA will require the government to steadily increase national harbor maintenance funding, reaching 100 percent of HMTF revenues by 2025. The bill also directs the Corps to recognize the interdependence of Great Lakes ports, large and small, and to manage them as a single, comprehensive system, with the focus more on regional economic impacts and less on annual tonnage measurements. The WRRDA also formally defines the Great Lakes Navigation System so that Federal funding can be appropriated only for use within that system."
The conference report, and the original bills in both the House and the Senate, were the results of strong bipartisan efforts. The task force noted the work of Representatives Gibbs, Candice Miller (R-MI) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) in ensuring the needs of the Great Lakes were addressed.
Don Cree, who served as the 3rd vice president of the task force at the time the WRRDA conference report was approved by Congress, also praised Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) for his efforts.
"Although Senator Levin was not on the conference committee, he played a leading role in crafting the Senate version of the bill and made sure the foundation had been laid for a WRRDA that puts the trust back in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund," he said.