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Deputy Maritime Administrator Joan Yim said on March 10 at the Transporte International '94

Conference and Exhibit: "At the Maritime Admin- istration, we intend to adjust our objectives to meet

Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena's vi- sion for a seamless intermodal transportation sys- tem — one that effectively ties America together and efficiently moves the nation's trade through port gateways into the global marketplace via waterborne transportation."

Towing Safety: HR 3282 & HR 4058

Currently two bills are on the table which deal with towing safety: HR 3282 (The Towing Vessel

Safety Act) sponsored by Congressman Billy

Tauzin, and the Towing Safety Act (HR 4058) sponsored by Congressman Gerry Studds. The principal difference between the bills is that Mr.

Studds' bill contains provisions for crewing, in- spection and deep-sea licensing that Mr. Tauzin's bill does not. Mr. Studds reportedly feels the first bill does not go far enough on those issues, whereas

Mr. Tauzin believes the issues require further study before they can be legislated properly. Mr.

Tauzin's bill reportedly has the support of Secre- tary of Transportation Federico Pena, as well as

Adm. J. William Kime, Commandant of the U.S.

Coast Guard (USCG), who reportedly contend that the issues Rep. Studds' bill raises and HR 3282 does not are valid ones which beg discussion, but safety measures should be taken immediately and time for those discussions should not delay imme- diate attention to safety.

At press time, a hearing had already been held by the House Subcommittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, but no date had apparently been set for mark-up of the bill by the full Committee, which Mr. Studds chairs. A recent interview with

Mr. Tauzin on the subject published in the AWO newsletter indicated that Secretary Pena's rec- ommendations on the issues Mr.Studds has raised will not be available until August, but Secretary

Pena wishes the towing safety provisions of the legislation to pass by September — the anniver- sary of the Amtrak accident — making the timing problematic.

Clean Water

According to Mr. Studds' spokeswoman Sue

Waldron, HR 2199 — the Clean Water Funding

Act that has come to be known as the "Polluter

Pays" bill — has been the subject of several hear- ings, and Mr. Studds had testified before the

House Appropriations Committee on the bill. More hearings were scheduled for the end of May, mak- ing a June mark-up possible. Revisions to the

Clean Water Act are also the focus of some debate.

A newly released report from the Izaak Walton

League of America (IWLA) and the Natural Re- sources Defense Council (NRDC), entitled Restor- ing the Big River: A Clean Water Act Blueprint for the Mississippi, makes multiple recommendations to counter what the organizations call threats to the river. According to the report, toxic chemicals and wastes have combined with wetlands loss and the maintenance and development of the river's navigation system to eliminate wildlife habitats rapidly, and levees and artificial banks have not only eliminated habitats but hindered the river's natural flooding/cleansing process.

Maritime Security Trade Act

Congressman William O. LipinskifD-Ill.) pro- posed Maritime Security and Trade Act (HR 4003), which was reportedly widely approved of in an

April 28 meeting of the Merchant Marine Subcom- mittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisher- ies Committee — with the exception of the funding mechanism, a 150 percent increase in the vessel tonnage tax. Although the major outcry against the funding mechanism has come from foreign owner/operators who say they will derive no ben-

June, 1994 efit from the legislation, the majority of U.S. owner/operators at the meeting reportedly said it would negatively impact their interests as well. The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) voiced its opinion that the legislation should include a shipbuilding component, an opinion shared by members of the Committee including

Mr. Lipinski, who reportedly indicated such a component may be added in the future.

Witnesses present included representatives of U.S.-flag liner companies, the SCA, the Na- tional Industrial Transportation League (which disapproved of the bill), the Liberty Maritime

Corporation, and the Seafarers International

Union.

Proposal On Cargo Preference Changes

In Great Lakes

A proposed MarAd program would allow Great

Lakes ports to compete for government-gener- ated agricultural commodity cargoes, a certain portion of which are set aside for U.S.-flag vessels.

No U.S.-flag ships currently provide service between the Great Lakes and foreign destina- tions.

The proposal's one-season trial period would be for the current season, and would entail allowing cargoes subject to cargo preference requirements to be transported from the Great

Lakes by either U.S.-flag or foreign-flag ships and taken along the St. Lawrence Seaway for eventual transfer to U.S.-flag vessels for ocean transport.

Additional information on this proposal can be obtained from John Graykowski, Deputy

Maritime Administrator for Inland Waterways and Great Lakes, tel: (202) 366-1718.

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