Domestic maritime industry and its many advocates are becoming increasingly vocal about what matters most: infrastructure, jobs and the economy.
The chronic gray noise emitted by the U.S. maritime industry is getting just a little louder. You can’t help but notice – at least, that’s the way it seems to me. This week and last, it reached a collective cacophony that has, for the first time recent memory, begun to resound in a unified voice for all sectors of the waterfront stakeholders. You have to wonder how much longer Washington can ignore it.
It is perhaps easy to dismiss the growing discontent amongst the users of America’s waterways as just more “special interests” chatter. On the other hand, and if there is one thing we as an industry have never been good at, then it is telling our “story” and getting out the good news about shipping, commerce and how all that gets done for this island nation. I marvel at the well-oiled PR machine(s) of both the trucking and rail industries. That’s because those efforts produce results. More than that, they produce federal infrastructure spending. And, it seems that the maritime industry is finally taking notice.
At last week’s 2011 Fall Symposium of the Waterways Council in Pittsburgh, PA, the emphasis of this event centered on “Why Rivers Matter” and that “the forgotten 4th R.” Inside the beltway, of course, Roadways, Runways and Rail get most of the attention. Rarely do the Rivers get the same love. The three day event saw input from academics, national and local political leaders, banking and finance professionals and respected economists. Sponsored by WCI, the nation’s advocate for optimal federal funding for the planning, construction, construction and maintenance of the nation’s ports and inland waterways, the meetings serve notice that waterway users are no longer prepared to sit back and watch their infrastructure crumble.
Meanwhile, Jerry A. Bridges, chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority in Norfolk, Va., was scheduled to provide testimony today to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Water Resources and Environment (WR&E) Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. His testimony was intended to answer two questions: What is the value of U.S. seaports to the nation and are U.S. ports ready to compete for trade in the future? Apparently, Congress doesn’t yet know what you take for granted every day. I’m glad Mr. Bridges can bring them up to speed.
Beyond the beltway, however, the buzz continues to build. Organizations like the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) are weighing in on American Energy and American Jobs. Elsewhere, the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) – representing more than 250 member companies, including over 100 firms that own and operate marine service vessels – asserts that President Obama’s De Facto Offshore Drilling Moratorium is unreasonable, unwarranted, unfair and unlawful. These groups are not alone in their displeasure.
Finally, it isn’t often that you can get labor and industry to agree on anything, but this summer’s blanket Jones Act waivers issued by this administration may have been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. Typically a Democratic President’s staunchest supporters, maritime labor unions are livid. They just have to be scratching their heads as to what to do next as the 2012 national elections loom large in the porthole. Perhaps this is the one thing that might actually get someone’s attention at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Fact: Less than one percent of all ARRA and federal infrastructure spending has made its way to the waterfront over the course of the past three years. Fact: That which has been authorized often remains unspent. This isn’t about special interests. It is about the flow of commerce, how best to make that happen, and why. It is about the environment and yes, it is about jobs. The collective domestic waterfront and its many stakeholders know it. So do you. It’s time to get the word out. Bang the drum (loudly). – MarPro.
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Joseph Keefe is the lead commentator of MaritimeProfessional.com. Additionally, he is Editor of both Maritime Professional and MarineNews print magazines. He can be reached at jkeefe@maritimeprofessional.com or at Keefe@marinelink.com. MaritimeProfessional.com is the largest business networking site devoted to the marine industry. Each day thousands of industry professionals around the world log on to network, connect, and communicate.