Denise Krepp

Private Consultant, Professor

K. Denise Rucker Krepp is a homeland security, transportation, and energy expert who began her career as an active duty Coast Guard officer in 1998. After September 11th, Ms. Krepp was part of the team that created the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Revenue Cutter Service and the Civil War

By Denise Krepp 2018-05-07 13:56:00

The Maritime Executive recently published an essay about the Revenue Cutter Service operations during the Civil War. The service is an ancestor agency of today’s Coast Guard, and like other American institutions, it was split apart by the conflict. Some RCS vessels served the Union, while others stationed in the South were handed over to the seceding states. This split didn’t happen overnight: it was precipitated by actions taken by a former Secretary of the Treasury. The story starts...

Interior Department Awards Maritime Heritage Grants

By Denise Krepp 2017-07-21 12:43:49

On July 7, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the recipients of the 2016 Maritime Heritage Grants. Twenty-seven entities located in thirteen states were awarded $1.7 million in grant funding. Recipients include the Naval Historical Foundation, which will use the grant dollars to digitize documents related to the American Revolution. Primary source documents regarding leading naval heroes like John Paul Jones will be at your finger tips. Curious about the Battle of Valcour Island? You won’t have to leave...

EU Leads the Way for Ship Recycling

By Denise Krepp 2017-05-24 20:28:55

Ask someone in the United States what happens to ocean-going ships at the end of their service life and they’ll likely describe National Geographic pictures of ships on beaches in some foreign country, with sandal-clad workers using hammers and cutting torches to take them apart. However, these recycling methods are destined to become a relic of the past. The future will be one where workers wear appropriate safety equipment. It will also be one where ships are not simply driven onto a beach....

What Happens to Vessels Named After Heroes?

By Denise Krepp 2016-12-21 20:35:06

In less than a month, Donald Trump will become President of the United States, Elaine Chao will replace Anthony Foxx at the Department of Transportation and General Mattis will stride through the Pentagon corridors as Secretary of Defense. As a former Obama administration political appointee, it's my hope that the three of them rapidly reverse a shameful eight-year policy that has allowed vessels named after Medal of Honor recipients to be destroyed in foreign facilities. Like most of you, I...

Transparency Needed in Government Ship Sales

By Denise Krepp 2016-06-02 15:09:59

Last week, I shared with readers that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that auctions off obsolete government vessels, does not track the international wires used to pay for them, a requirement of federal law. The Department of the Treasury is the agency that collects the money, and we've recently learned that they don't examine the source of this foreign funding either. On February 18, 2016, Jon Ottman, a maritime historian, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request...

MARAD: Following Maersk's Lead on Ship Recycling

By Denise Krepp 2016-02-23 18:31:13

Last week, Maersk announced that it will be working with shipyards in Alang, India, to create responsible recycling programs. I'm disappointed that Maersk vessels will be dismantled in India instead of the United States. At that same time, however, I'm impressed with Maersk's clear ship recycling policy and its plan to implement it. This clarity is something that is sorely lacking in the United States and it's my hope that the U.S. Maritime Administration takes a page from Maersk's playbook....

Environmental Rules Don't Apply to the Federal Government

By Denise Krepp 2015-08-27 18:01:24

It's amazing what a person can discover if one is willing to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and wait two years for the federal government to respond. Treasures include General Services Administration (GSA) employees admitting to withholding environmentally sensitive information from buyers of government property. You can also find U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) employees failing to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The transgressions are so plentiful that one is...

Where did the Maritime Heritage Grant Money Go? - Part 3

By Denise Krepp 2015-07-10 10:20:07

Unravelling what happened to the former Coast Guard Cutter STORIS has been time-consuming process. Jon Ottman, who successfully nominated the vessel for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, first started submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests two years ago. He still hasn't received information from several agencies and their lack of response raises significant questions about the government's willingness to expose - or learn from - its glaring mistakes. Heather Bischoff, a General Services...

Where did the Maritime Heritage Grant Money Go? - Part 2

By Denise Krepp 2015-07-09 17:13:39

In 2009, Congress mandated that all government vessels be recycled in the United States. The 1970 Bank Secrecy Act and the 2001 PATRIOT Act imposed additional reporting requirements concerning international wire transfers over $10,000. Finally, the Freedom of Information Act requires the government to share information in a timely manner. What do they all have in common? The former Coast Guard Cutter STORIS that was scrapped in Mexico in 2013. The Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year...

Where Did the Maritime Heritage Grant Money Go? - Part 1

By Denise Krepp 2015-07-07 16:36:37

In 1998, Congress held a hearing to examine the Maritime Administration's ship recycling program. Witnesses testified about irregularities and the lack of compliance with the National Maritime Heritage Act. Fast forward seventeen years and the problems continue to exist. Maritime heritage and preservation organizations, specified as recipients of one-quarter of MARAD obsolete ship sales in the 1994 Act, have still not received their full funding and are wondering where the money has gone. So are domestic metal recycling companies that...