February 2, 2001
Westin Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, SC
Council Members and Alternates Present
MARAD Personnel Present
Margaret Blum, Associate Administrator for Port, Intermodal and Environmental
Activities Raymond Barberesi, Director, Office of Ports and Domestic Shipping
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Action Items:
Morning Session
Chairman, Chuck Raymond opened the meeting and asked Council members to introduce themselves. The Chair expressed the Council’s gratitude to Joe Miniace of the Pacific Maritime Association and Bernie Groseclose of the South Carolina State Ports Authority for hosting the welcoming reception and cocktail party the previous evening. In addition, the Chair thanked Byron Miller, of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, and Robbie Forbes, of CSX Lines for providing the council an informative and interesting tour of the Port of Charleston and the CSX Intermodal Terminal.
Raymond Barberesi of MARAD made several announcements concerning travel vouchers, lunch orders, and hotel check out times. In addition, he requested that all members of the public sign in and sign up for the public comment period.
The Chair noted that the council has hit the ground running. The White Paper prepared by the well-respected economist, John Martin of Martin Associates, along with Thomas A. Ward of Jordan Woodman Dobson, and Richard Fullenbaum and Paul Bingham of WEFA, as intended was submitted to former Secretary of Transportation, Rodney Slater. In addition, the White Paper was also submitted to representatives of the transition team by Chuck Carroll . Joe Miniace was commended for his work on this project and for completing it in a timely manner and Carol Lambos was also recognized for her assistance with the project. The Chair remarked that a full discussion of the White Paper would take place later in the session.
The Chair also noted that council teams were now in place and getting down to business. He indicated that team reports would form the basis of future reports to the Secretary of Transportation in which the council could advocate for a holistic approach to water, rail, and highway transportation. The Chair further stated that this would be the council’s challenge in the near term. However, the Chair reminded the council that it has to be clear about the issues it wants to be heard on. As such, it is imperative that the council identify its key priorities. The council will have to work hard to reach out to the new administration. To that end, the Chair mentioned his efforts in reaching out to Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta and his hope that a meeting with him can be arrange in the near future.
Raymond Barberesi was asked to give a report on past council resolutions and actions items.
Maggie Blum Addresses the Council on Behalf of MARAD
Maggie Blum was invited to give the Sponsor’s Greeting. She read letters to the council from both Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator Bruce J. Carlton. The Secretary’s letter indicated that the Secretary appreciated the council’s efforts and that he looked forward to receiving council recommendations in the future. Acting Administrator Carlton’s letter reiterated that the council was an essential partner with the federal government in the MTS initiative. Maggie Blum made additional comments that applauded the efforts of the council, remarked on the ground swell that council activity has started, and urged the council on in its work in addressing the problems facing the MTS. She also thanked the council for its efforts.
Chuck Raymond thanked Maggie Blum for her remarks and complimented contributions of the MARAD staff in making the MTSNAC a viable and productive council reality.
September 7, 2000 MTSNAC Meeting Minutes Approved
The Chair then asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the September 7, 2000 MTSNAC meeting held in Washington, DC. Charles Kurz II so moved, and Rene Mansho seconded the motion. The minutes were unanimously approved.
Action Items
Action Item 1: Review and Adopt Council Procedures
Carol Lambos was invited to lead a discussion on draft council procedures. The discussion evoked the following comments:
Team vs. Subcommittee
Charles Kurz II questioned whether it was appropriate to call the subgroups that the council has organized itself around “Teams” when the council charter mentions “Subcommittees.” It was noted that the council chose the word “Team” to describe the subgroups because it connoted the sense of action that the council wanted to be known for.
Resolution 1.
To address Mr. Kurz’s concerns about consistency with the council charter, Joe Miniace suggested a resolution that the council recognize the term “Team” as a means of referring to the “Subcommittees” designated in the council charter. Pat Hall seconded and the resolution was passed.
The Size of Teams
Gwen Harris-Gayle raised the issue of the appropriate size of council teams. She indicated that the viability of any team with less than a certain amount of members might be in question. Since team development was an agenda item for later in the session, Dr. Harris-Gayle was asked if this issue could be tabled to be revised, if necessary, during that discussion. This was agreeable to her.
Member Notification and Inter-Council Communication
Terri Mast raised an issue about team communications. The Chair responded that the new website should enable improved council communications.
Charles Kurz II asked a question about subcommittee or team meetings and public notice. The MARAD people reminded the council that FACA does not require public notice of subcommittee or team meetings.
Gwen Harris-Gayle raised the issue about the appropriate manner in which council team meeting minutes should be posted on the website. She made the point that they should not be posted unless reviewed and adopted by the council. Short of adoption by the council, if posted they should be posted with appropriate disclaimers indicating that they are not expressing the opinion of the council.
Resolution 2
Craig Philip resolved that only team meeting minutes that have been properly discussed and reviewed in the public forum should be posted on the website and if so posted should be posted with an appropriate disclaimer. Hank Marcus seconded and the resolution was passed.
It was generally agreed that the draft council procedures should be amended to reflect the suggestions made. An amended draft will be circulated.
Council Member Terms
Charles Kurz II brought up the issue of council member terms. Maggie Blum responded and indicated that council member terms was a sponsor issue and that the sponsor would be reviewing outstanding membership applications. She noted that one-third of the council members would begin their staggered rotation and further stated that more information about staggering the terms of membership would be on the agenda at the next council meeting.
BREAK
Action Item 2. The Chair called for Team Reports.
AWARENESS–JOE MINIACE/ TEAM LEADER
Report on Awareness White Paper
Joe Miniace began his team report with a powerpoint presentation that highlighted the key message of the MTSNAC White Paper. He acknowledged the professionals that prepared the paper. He indicated that the White Paper is intended to be a living document that can be edited, expanded and updated for use by the entire council. The main idea of the paper was that the MTS does its job very well with little attention and that has caused a problem in terms of systems requirements. In addition, the paper tried to point out that every person in the United States is a user of the MTS. He also explained that the paper should be used as a tool by the other teams, security and infrastructure for example.
Comments:
Gwen Harris-Gale complimented the paper and requested that safety be emphasized in future versions.
Jim McCarville commended the Awareness Team on a job well done in such a short period of time. He called the paper an extraordinary effort but asked the council how can this be translated into action.
Chuck Raymond indicated that the White Paper will enable council members to approach government agencies and officials with information about the importance of the MTS. He also stated that the paper should be updated periodically to keep it current. In addition, he noted that it was important to use the paper to keep Secretary Slater’s vision within the priorities of the new administration.
Darrell Bryan raised an issue with the numbers as they related to passenger volume. He suggested that the council interface with the Volpe Center to be sure to have consistency in numbers.
Terri Mast stated that she felt that labor should have a voice in future drafts and that the labor skill shortage and the effects on the military should be noted. She volunteered to get these statistics to Joe.
Pat Hall also complimented the team on producing such a high quality work in such a timely manner.
Rene Mansho sent accolades to Joe Miniace and the Awareness Team and indicated that she felt that this would be a valuable informational piece to educate elected officials. She will show it to public officials in Hawaii and encourages other council members to do the same with their elected officials. She did request that future versions make more references to domestic offshore locations like Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Capt. Michael Watson commended Joe and his team on the White Paper but stressed the need to be sure that the paper is accurate.
Gwen Harris-Gale recommended that future versions of the White Paper contain more emphasis on future projections and that this information should be presented in graphic form so the numbers jump out at the reader.
Craig Philip asked for a copy of Joe Miniace’s powerpoint presentation.
Maggie Blum indicated the sponsor’s gratitude for such a fine piece of work.
Charles Kurz II asked about how the appropriate method for making comments about the White Paper. The Chair indicated that all comments about the White Paper should be directed to Ray Barberesi .
Susan Allen indicated that she was impressed with the White Paper but asked when a more definitive version would be available. Joe Miniace indicated that one error needed to be corrected but otherwise all the information in the paper could be supported by citations to reliable sources. Jonathan Benner offered a process suggestion with regard to the paper: he recommended that an amended form of the paper be circulated prior to the next meeting so it can be available for distribution and use.
Report on MTSNAC Website
Susan Lee of MARAD gave a presentation about the new MTSNAC website. She describes its features and demonstrated that it has a public area and private area. Maggie Blum will inform council members how they can access the private members area. The Chair complimented MARAD and the web designers on a great job.
A discussion ensued concerning the publication of council members email addresses on the public areas of the website. There was general consensus that council members did not want their email addresses published in such a manner. Moreover, another discussion arose concerning whether or not the council wanted a public comment area on the website. The council also agreed that unless it had the capability to monitor the requests it would not be a worthwhile pursuit at this time.
HUMAN RESOURCES–CAPT. MICHAEL WATSON/TEAM LEADER
Capt. Watson reported that he was looking for members for his team. He mentioned that the team would be addressing training issues. It was suggested that the issues raised by Terri Mast concerning industry training be referred to this team for consideration. Jonathan Benner volunteered for this team
LUNCH BREAK
Afternoon Session
INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM–CHUCK CARROLL/TEAM COORDINATOR
Chuck Carroll indicated that he has four volunteers for this team and is hoping that more will come forth. The team will be having an organizational meeting in Washington, DC and the date, time and location will be posted on the council website and in preparation for that meeting, he asked the sponsor for:
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND R & D BERNIE GROSECLOSE and HANK MARCUS/TEAM LEADERS
Hank Marcus and Bernie Groseclose reported on their team meeting held in Charleston the day before. They stated that the team will be study the Vision 2050 paper and coordinating certain efforts with the ICMTS. In addition, they mentioned the upcoming R & T information conference to be held on November 14-16, 2001 in Washington, DC.
With the assistance of Admiral Carl Sieberlich the team will be researching the work of the 14 different organizations that have on-going work in the R & D field.
The team is also looking to build its membership and to report on the problems or opportunities that can be resolved through technology.
SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT–CHARLES KUZ II/TEAM LEADER
Charles Kurz II reported for the team and indicated that Glen Ashe from the American Bureau of Shipping has been acting as Team Coordinator. Accompanying Mr. Kurz’s presentation was a report entitled MTSNAC Safety and Environmental Protection Subcommittee Report to the MTS National Advisory Council dated February 2, 2001. The report contained several resolutions that Mr. Kurz wanted to put before the council. The first resolution concerned maritime personnel alertness, fatigue and endurance management. The second resolution concerned near miss incident reporting. Mr. Kurz also requested consideration of another resolution that would promote identification, R & D with regard to appropriate reductions in pollution discharge for mobile and stationary sources in the MTS.
The Chair complimented the team on its hard work but noted that the issues presented by these resolutions are complex and require study and discussion that would be beyond the scope of the meeting today. He suggested that the team make a future presentation on these issues to educate the council so the suggested resolutions can receive the appropriate consideration. The Chair also suggested that the team cut these issues more narrowly as to permit council action.
Capt. Michael Watson also commended the work of the team but indicated that the resolutions took a broad swipe at the issues and that certain factors especially in the area of fatigue have not been addressed. He also recommended that the resolutions be put off until further discussion could be held.
Craig Phillip indicated that these were two very important issues that warranted further review and analysis. He suggested that council members confer with their constituencies regarding these resolutions for possible consideration at the next council meeting.
Bob Nelson volunteered to assist the team in framing safety issues in a more narrow manner.
The Chair then referred the matters back to the team for further consideration.
SECURITY–CHUCK RAYMOND TEAM LEADER
Carol Lambos presented the Security Team report on behalf of Team Leader, Chuck Raymond , and Team Coordinator, James Capo . She indicated that the team had a meeting in New York City at the offices of the New York Shipping Association on January 19, 2001. The action plan of the meeting was to discuss the Report of the Interagency Commission on Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports, a government report released in the fall of 2000, as well as ensuing legislation introduced by Senator Hollings of South Carolina that sought to enact many of the provision of the government report. It is the intention of the team to prepare a report to the full council on the provisions of the government report and the Hollings legislation. In addition, the team intends to monitor important issues that impact seaport security.
Action Item 3 and 4. Discussion of MTSNAC Intermediate and Long Term Priorities
The Chair opened a discussion of council priorities by indicating that Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta agreed to meet with him and Frank Sims concerning the MTSNAC. While no date had been set for that meeting it was hoped that it would take place shortly.
A discussion ensued concerning the appropriate manner to flesh out issues for consideration by the council. It was suggested that once an issue is identified by a team, the team needs to educate the full council on the issue so meaningful discussion can take place before resolutions are adopted. Capt. Watson suggested that we work closely with the ICMTS to avoid redundancies. Jonathan Benner indicated that we need to define our agenda more carefully so we can focus our resources.
The Chair reminded the council that there is a certain learning curve and educational period involved and that the council must learn about certain issues. He suggested that the teams share information and consider priorities at their meetings. He further encouraged the teams to share information with the interagency group and stressed the need for further team development.
In terms of long term planning, the Chair indicated that the council must formulate a cohesive set of recommendations and that the best way to accomplish that was through communication and activity in between meetings.
Richard Walker of MARAD gave a presentation about information that is available to supplement the council awareness information. He also mentioned the U.S. DOT Freight Finance Conference to be held in St. Louis on April 29- May 1, 2001.
Jeff High of the U.S. Coast Guard also made a presentation about his efforts in ensuring that there can be a positive interaction between the MTSNAC and the ICMTS.
Public Comment Period
Jean Goodwin of the AAPA indicated her organizations support for the MTS initiative and the council. She urged all the council members to write to the Secretary of Transportation in support of the MTSNAC. She stressed that important legislation is being considered and that MTS constituents should make themselves heard. She also mentioned the Freight Finance Conference in St. Louis. She further stressed that the port security issue is a sleeping giant that can hit the MTS hard and expressed concern that legislation appears to have been generated from the top intended to trickle down as opposed to being locally conceived. She hopes that the federal government will look at ports individually.
Bob Greco of the American Petroleum Institute echoed many of Jean Goodwins sentiments. He indicated concern over the criminalization of accidents being an important issue for all modes of transportation. He indicated that often MTS constituents have negative public images and that the MTSNAC should try to address this.
Inga Barry of the New York/New Jersey Port Authority stated that she is finding that there is uncertainty over what the MTSNAC is. She urges the council to embark on an outreach program and to distribute materials to get the word out.
Jim Spinosa , President of the ILWU, indicated his disappointment with the MTSNAC White Paper in that it was distributed before there was full feedback on it. Mr. Spinosa was questioned about his specific objections to the White Paper, he declined to enumerate his objections but indicated that he would submit them to the council.
Mike Mitre, of the ILWU also spoke about the White Paper and the need for labor involvement.
WRAP-UP
It was indicated that the next meeting would take place in early May and would likely be in the New York City area. It was hoped that the Secretary of Transportation could be in attendance. It was indicated that the fall meeting would be held in the Baltimore area. The council members and the public were thanked for their attendance.