The Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council
(MTSNAC) met in
During the two day meeting the Council discussed the mission and purpose of the MTSNAC, including the scope of the Council, past accomplishments, the SEA-21 Initiative and refocusing for future projects. A presentation on the “Shipper’s Point of View” regarding the National Transportation Policy was given by the Vice Chair, pro tem.
A report on West Coast congestion was given, following which the Council prepared a resolution for presentation to the Secretary of Transportation requesting that the Secretary offer available resources of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to the California Governor’s Office to perform an assessment of the underlying causes of these delays and identify potential solutions to existing and growing congestion problems in California.
Regional reports were provided by the South Atlantic Marine Transportation System Organization (SAMTSO) and the California Marine and Intermodal Transportation System Advisory Council (CALMITSAC). SAMTSO reported that it seeks to provide a forum for transportation providers to discuss issues affecting local economic growth and security needs. CALMITSAC briefed the Council on their activities and progress of their regional MTS initiative.
Mr. George Schoener, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Transportation at DOT discussed the Department’s Freight Action Agenda.
The Freight Action Agenda would incorporate several major projects such as:
The Council addressed team realignment and approved the reorganization of the current nine teams into four: Waterways, Education, Intermodal Capacity and Operations, and Shipbuilding.
John Jamian, Deputy Maritime Administrator, provided the Council with an update on the SEA-21 Initiative, which has been briefed to both Secretary Mineta and the Office of Management and Budget.