Page 6: of Marine News Magazine (September 2015)

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EDITOR’S NOTE n a recent swing through Houston, Texas, and hopelessly ensnared in the mother-of-all- traf? c jams on the 610-Loop, I happened to glance down at the dashboard where the out- o side temperature was ? ashing back at me at 106 F. But, that’s just Crazy Talk. Everyone

O o knows that it couldn’t have been a shade less than 109 F. I took the moment – also nervously eyeing the engine temperature gauge on my economy class rental – to contemplate the current state of the domestic inland waterways situation.

Our heartland brown water business situation is red hot, for many obvious reasons. It is also likely to stay that way, in part for reasons that you may not think about on a daily basis. In that regard, the current state of the U.S. regulatory climate immediately comes to mind. As we go to press with this [email protected] edition, the latest rumor from Washington is that the ? nal version of the long awaited, unusually well supported, so-called subchapter M towboat rule has once again slipped back into yet another calendar year. Optimistic estimates call for a February edict, but I wouldn’t bet the 401K farm on it.

Inland operators and the vendors that support them aren’t sitting on their hands. To that end, soft- ware providers and regulatory consultants alike are gearing up to lend a hand before and after the ? nal rule. I can’t think of a better place come up to speed on ‘subM’ than veteran journalist Patricia Keefe’s comprehensive look at the nuts and bolts of what’s to come, what to do about it and the stakehold- ers who will ultimately shape the ? nal chapter of the story. That exclusive report starts on page 32.

Marine safety and uninspected vessels don’t comprise the full measure of the regulatory hammer impinging on the largest and most important sector of the domestic merchant ? eet. That’s because – running right alongside our waterways – railcars full of dangerous liquid cargoes operate in ever greater numbers and carry staggering cubic volumes, at safety standards that pale in comparison to that enforced on the water. Also in this edition, environmental expert Dagmar Etkin, Ph.D, takes a bird’s eye view of what is happening on the nation’s railways when it comes to dangerous cargo.

The unsettling facts point to the need to move these cargoes off the rails – where and when possible (preferably now) – and onto the water.

There is plenty more to talk about. And, yes; some of that moves closer to the commercial side of the equation. Not lost on us here at MarineNews – nor should it escape your attention – is the fact that all commercial issues seem to have a common denominator. Sure, the regulations de? ne what you must do, but it is my experience that the vast majority of workboat operators make decisions based on a much higher plane. Last month, on a steaming hot visit to the Bayou City, I saw that metric in play, time and time again. Arguably, those who do not embrace that standard are likely to get burned.

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Joseph Keefe, Editor, [email protected]

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