In written testimony submitted to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Water Resource and Environment hearing on the “Cost of Doing Nothing,” the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) calls on Congress to invest in critical landside and waterside connections to seaports, fully utilize HMT revenues and implement a long-term funding solution for port maintenance.
“Landside and waterside investments are critical to building America’s 21st century seaport infrastructure. AAPA has highlighted $66 billion in federal need over the next decade for port-related infrastructure. About half of that need, $33.8 billion, is for waterside investments,” said Kurt Nagle, President & CEO of the AAPA.
On the waterside, there are existing funding opportunities to address our needs at seaports. The Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) is paid by shippers to ensure our nation’s ports are well maintained. According to Port of Los Angeles Executive Director, Eugene Seroka, who testified at the April 10 Subcommittee hearing, “(The HMT) is a unique and important revenue source that can keep our nation’s ports and harbors operating at their maximum potential.”
Both ports requiring traditional dredging and donor ports (where a large proportion of the HMT revenues are collected) require the use of these funds. Approving a long-term funding solution for port maintenance that makes full use of the HMT more permanent and includes language to address tax fairness and cargo diversion problems is critical. The four pillars of this solution are:
AAPA applauds the Subcommittee for focusing on this critical issue. The cost of doing nothing not only impacts our ports and freight infrastructure system but also affects our ability as a nation to grow and thrive.
