AAPA Letter to Congress Keys on Transportation Infrastructure and Seaports

Letter Outlines Key Steps to Create Jobs, Enhance Economy. Focus is on Transportation Infrastructure, Green Programs, Tax & Trade Policies.

In a letter to Senate and House leadership regarding a possible jobs bill being considered by Congress, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) Chief Executive Officer Kurt Nagle outlined several key federal programs and tax incentives related to seaports that will create jobs, enhance sustainability, and provide long-term economic growth and prosperity for the nation.

"By providing additional funds for port-related and freight transportation infrastructure, we can modernize maritime transportation and provide jobs for both today and tomorrow," wrote Mr. Nagle. "Seaports can also help achieve our national goal of creating jobs through programs that enhance the environment by decreasing diesel emissions and improving energy efficiency in maritime operations, and by protecting our nation's homeland by bolstering port security."

Among the port-related programs Mr. Nagle pointed to that will create jobs and transportation savings include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' work to maintain and improve America's federal navigation channels; the Department of Transportation's policies and projects to move freight more efficiently; the Environmental Protection Agency's and Department of Energy's commitment to "green" projects and policies that reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grants to enhance port facility security. Additionally, he pointed to a number of tax incentives that would further enhance goods movement and lower prices to make American products more internationally competitive, including: eliminating the portion of the Harbor Maintenance Tax levied on transporting domestic cargo between ports; elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax on government-issued private equity bonds to promote infrastructure development at ports; and passage of pending and new free trade agreements that would stimulate U.S. exports and jobs.

"By investing in America's freight transportation system and developing policies that facilitate U.S. exports, we can create jobs and achieve modern, navigable seaports that are safe and environmentally sustainable," said Mr. Nagle.

• About AAPA

Founded in 1912, AAPA today represents 160 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. As a critical link for access to the global marketplace, each year, Western Hemisphere seaports generate trillions of dollars of economic activity, support the employment of millions of people and, in 2008, imported and exported more than 7.8 billion tons of cargo, valued at $8.6 trillion, including food, clothing, medicine, fuel and building materials, as well as consumer electronics and toys. The volume of cargo shipped by water is expected to dramatically increase by 2020 and the number of passengers traveling through our seaports will continue to grow. To meet these demands, the AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable.