Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council
Awareness Team Meeting
Monday, May 13, 2002
Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Present:
Robert Dockendorff, Pacific Maritime Association
Margie Hegy, U.S. Coast Guard
Terri Mast, International Longshore Warehouse Union
Gary Magnuson, NOAA
Ron Achelpohl, National Association of Regional Councils
Jim McCarville, Port of Pittsburgh
Susan Allen, U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce
Keith Lesnick, Maritime Administration
The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m. by Bob Dockendorff substituting for Joe Miniace. Bob conveyed Joe’s apology for being unable to attend the meeting due to an unplanned scheduling conflict. The meeting agenda was distributed. The minutes of the meeting of November 7, 2001 were approved.
Challenges and Opportunities for the U.S. Marine Transportation System, July 16, 2001
It was reported that the “white paper” is in the process of being vetted in the Office of the Secretary. The paper was mentioned in a March 6, 2002 MARAD press release that announced that Secretary Mineta renewed for two years the charter of the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council.
Margie Hegy of the U.S. Coast Guard briefed the Awareness Team on the Interagency Committee Marine Transportation System awareness projects. The projects discussed include a U.S. Coast Guard produced video describing the MTS initiative and National Maritime Day activities scheduled for May 22, 2002. It was agreed that the Team’s report to the Council would encourage all members of the council to attend or have representatives participate in National Maritime Day Activities. Among the activities of National Maritime Day is a Memorial Ceremony at the Naval Memorial, a Propeller Club luncheon on Capitol Hill with Congressman Don Young as the featured speaker, and a Capitol Hill MTS Reception designed to raise the level of MTS awareness with Members of Congress and Staff.
An in-depth discussion of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), TEA-21, and the reauthorization of TEA-21 followed including the importance of understanding how Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) fit into the process of assigning priorities and authorizing funding of local and regional highway construction and maintenance and more specifically, from the MTS point of view, the intermodal connector construction and maintenance process. Bob Dockendorff pointed out that freight has had minimal representation and that the marine transportation system has had essentially no representation in the MPO planning process. As a further consequence the TEA process and MPOs have not taken into account how water-based transportation alternatives could impact better utilization of existing highway infrastructure.
The MPO long-range transportation plans almost never include the infrastructure requirements placed on the highway system by the movement of freight and passengers into and out of marine transportation system intermodal connectors including the additional environmental benefits derived from better access to water transportation.
A two-step approach to addressing these issues was discussed. The first step was to present a resolution to the Council affirming the need for greater awareness and participation by the waterborne freight and passenger business in the MPO planning and budgeting process. An outline of a resolution was discussed and will be presented to the Council later.
The second step would be to work on the development of a further resolution for presentation to MTSNAC that would propose a plan for the Secretary that would include in the TEA-21 reauthorization legislation, a provision that would mandate that MPOs include infrastructure planning and construction of intermodal connectors to and from seaports and inland waterway ports and the development of alternative water transportation as a part of local and regional transportation plans.
Keith Lesnick of the Maritime Administration and Ron Achelpohl of the National Association of Regional Councils agreed to work on development of a resolution that would include, but not be limited to, the following:
· Task the MTSNAC to develop a strategic plan that would move to mandate that waterborne freight and passenger intermodal connectors are included in plans developed by MPOs.
· Develop a plan that will ensure that MTS stakeholders are adequately represented on MPO's
· Through the legislative process, direct that the MPO's planning process include the projected landside infrastructure to handle the requirements of projected waterborne freight and passengers.
Based on projections that trade will double or even triple in 20 years the long term value of enhancing the connectors for waterborne freight (and passengers) is critical to developing more U.S. jobs and the economy.
A member of the team pointed out a recent editorial in the May 6, 2002 issue of TRAFFIC WORLD that endorsed a nine-point freight stakeholders program that proposed to insert language into the TEA-21 reauthorization bill that would specifically address freight movement and congestion mitigation.
The nine-point agenda follows:
1. Protect the integrity of the Highway Trust Fund.
2. Dedicate funds for National Highway System
connectors to intermodal freight
facilities.
3. Form a national freight industry advisory group
pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide industry input to the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
4.
Create a Freight Cooperative Research
Program.
5. Expand freight planning expertise at the state and local levels.
6. Develop ways to increase available funds
without new user fees and taxes by creating a toolbox of innovative financing
options specifically aimed at freight
capacity improvements and enhancements.
7. Significantly increase funds for an expanded corridor/border and
gateway program.
8. Streamline
environmental permitting for freight
projects.
9. Increase funding and
promote use of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
for freight projects that reduce
congestion and improve air quality.
Mr. Dockendorff initiated a discussion of the "Lowenthal Bill" in California and the need for the Industry to monitor legislation of this type that impacts the movement and cost of freight. The Lowenthal bill (that has since passed the California State Assembly and is in Committee in the State Senate) is aimed at reducing diesel emissions by fining port container terminal operators if truckers have to wait in line outside of a container terminal for more than thirty minutes to gain entrance to pick-up or deliver containers. This legislation will levy a fine of $250 on terminal operators for each truck that’s idle time exceeds 30 minutes. The bill tasks the State of California Environmental Protection Agency to monitor compliance.
Increased awareness of the importance of the cost effective movement of waterborne freight to and from inland destinations and adequate planning to prevent shoreside freight traffic congestion could prevent this type of legislation in the future. Without adequate planning and infrastructure development by the year 2020 entire highway systems on the East, West, and Gulf Coasts could be clogged with truck traffic moving containerized freight to and from our seaports.
There was consensus that the Awareness Team urge the MTSNAC to push for a TEA-21 reauthorization that levels the modal financing field through mandates handed down to local MPOs. MPOs must incorporate planning and funding of shoreside intermodal connectors for waterborne freight and passengers into their long-range transportation planning processes.
Maximizing utilization of the Internet site.
The agenda item concerning the need to continue to develop the MTSNAC internet site and to encourage members to link their sites to the MTSNAC site was discussed only briefly because the meeting had exceeded its allotted time.
All attendees participated fully throughout the meeting therefore there was no additional public comment.
The date and location of the next meeting remains open. The meeting was adjourned at 12:50 p.m.
These are minutes of the Awareness Team. The opinions, recommendations, or positions expressed herein do not constitute the opinions, recommendation, or positions of the MTSNAC unless they are expressly ratified after review, discussion, and vote of the full MTSNAC.