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August 2011www.marinelink.com 23Pittsburgh to New Orleans travels through the waters of 11 states. The court decision implies that even if those 11 states impose conflicting, overlap- ping, or infeasible conditions applicablewhile the tow is in their waters ? and even if EPA knows that those conditions are unworkable ? the agency has no au- thority under the Clean Water Act to re- ject or modify the state conditions. AWO believes more strongly than ever that Congress needs to fix this broken system. THE LEGISLATIVE FRONT Invited to testify on July 13, 2011 be- fore the House Coast Guard and Mar-itime Transportation and the Water Resources and Environment Subcommit- tees on behalf of the Shipping IndustryCoalition, AWO President & CEO Thomas Allegretti told lawmakers that the current patchwork of authorities with respect to vessel discharges regulation is antithetical to environmental protection and economic growth. ?Without Con- gressional action,? Mr. Allegretti said, ?the flow of essential maritime com- merce will be constrained, American jobs will be jeopardized, regulatory burdens on businesses and workers will multiply, and American taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for duplicative and contra- dictory programs.? AWO and the Shipping Industry Coali- tion support the establishment of a con-sistent, practical, science-based federalframework for the regulation of vessel discharges outside of the NPDES per- mitting program. Such a framework, Mr. Allegretti told Members of Congress, would be good for U.S. business and American mariners, good for the U.S. en-vironment, and good for the American economy and jobs. Coast Guard andMaritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) andWater Resources and Environment Sub- committee Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OK)both recognized the need for the com-prehensive regulation of vessel dis- charges. ?The time has finally come to enact a clear, effective, and uniform na- tional standard that utilizes available and cost-effective technology,? Chairman Lo- Biondo said. Chairman Gibbs added,?We need a common sense approach that can be enacted quickly, protects the envi- ronment, reduces red tape, grows mar- itime jobs and opens the flow of interstate commerce.? Other Committee members also calledfor Congressional action to solve the problem of vessel discharges regulation. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Mar- itime Subcommittee, urged his fellow Members of Congress to resolve the un- certainty surrounding vessel discharges, adding, ?The Coast Guard Subcommitteeand the Water Resources Subcommittee can work together in a bipartisan way to develop legislation that effectively ad- dresses discharges from ships and boats.? AWO is hopeful that the support for a uniform regulatory regime expressed at the hearing will spur the development of legislation to replace the broken regula- tory system that currently exists with an effective and practical one. The recent Circuit Court ruling high-lights the urgent need for Congress to act. We hope that Congress will seize the op- portunity to right this regulatory, envi- ronmental, and economic wrong onbehalf of the American companies that operate tugboats, towboats, and barges that carry the cargo to fuel our economy, that provide high-quality jobs for men and women throughout this country, and that seek to protect the marine environ- ment while keeping our businesses vi- able.AWO President & CEO Thomas Allegretti told lawmakers that the current patchwork of authorities with respect to vessel discharges regulation is antithetical to environmental protection and economic growth. MR Aug. 11 # 3 (18-24):MR Template 8/3/2011 10:23 AM Page 23