Senators to Introduce Port Infrastructure Legislation, Would Revamp HMT
U.S. Senators Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., plan to push legislation that would prevent shippers from skirting certain port fees through the use of Canadian and Mexican ports, they said Aug. 15. They said the legislation will replace the Harbor Maintenance Tax, which the Senators said has been inefficiently collected, with a new Maritime Goods Movement User Fee. The objective of the legislation, entitled the Maritime Goods Movement Act, is to improve port infrastructure and maintenance.
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Revenue generated from the Maritime Goods Movement User Fee would be "fully available to Congress to provide for port operation and maintenance," the release said, adding that the move will double the amount of American port funds. A portion of the fee collection would be dedicated to "low-use, remote, and subsistence harbors that are at a competitive disadvantage for federal funding," according to the release. The legislation will also create a grant program, financed through the user fee collection, that targets intermodal transportation efficiency improvement.
Port officials have previously criticized the HMT because its funds are not fully used for port maintenance (see 13021505). Federal Maritime Commissioner Richard Lackey said Aug. 9 that Congress would continue to look at revisions to the HMT (see 13081417).
"Shippers have decided it’s more cost-efficient to send those US-bound goods to Canada and Mexico first -- only to ship them to the United States by truck or rail," said Senator Murray. “That means fewer cargo containers coming into our ports. It means less work for longshoreman and pilots. And it means we can’t make investments in infrastructure that our ports need to be state-of-the-art and competitive." Senator Murray pledged to introduce the legislation in September following August recess.