Marine Log - November 2007 - (Page 104) Last word November 2007 Vol. 112 No. 11 Opportunity to strengthen the Coast Guard am honored to accept the ASA Rapid Response Award. I want to thank each of you for the work you do to ensure the safety of the maritime industry and to protect our marine resources from the threats that maritime accidents create. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States has more than 360 ports, yet our nation’s maritime industry is almost invisible to the public. With that said, you also know that the work of the salvage industry is even less visible. But be sure of this—I know how difficult the jobs you undertake to respond to marine incidents can be—and I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your dedication to the safety and defense of the marine environment. When I was first appointed as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, representatives of the salvage industry were among the first people to visit me. During that first meeting, we discussed the extended delays that have plagued the Coast Guard’s development of salvage and marine firefighting regulations. The development of these regulations is a top priority for me. I have been in regular contact with the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen, to push the service to finalize this rulemaking process. In his most recent correspondence on this matter—in July of this year—the Commandant informed me that the Coast Guard has determined that because of continued delays, the regulatory assessment of the proposed salvage regulations had to be updated to assess whether there were any potential changes in the economic costs and benefits of the regulations. I wish I could say that issuance of the final regulations is imminent. Now, however, even when the Coast Guard finishes its work, the rules must proceed through several more layers of I administrative review before Identification Credential they can be put into effect. (TWIC). The TWIC is Anticipating those further essential to ensuring that delays, in February of this year, we allow only those peothe Department of Homeland ple, who do not pose a Security issued yet another threat to security, to notice of suspension providing access our nation’s sensithe Coast Guard an additional tive transportation two years to finalize the rules of infrastructure. We must salvage. ensure that we put all My experience with the salneeded security measures vage regulations opened my eyes in place throughout our not only to the extent of the maritime installations delays plaguing the Coast Congressman Elijah E. without placing an undue Guard’s rulemaking efforts—but Cummings burden on the maritime to some of the many challenges industry. the Coast Guard’s marine safety The house has program is facing. resoundingly supported our efforts to The Coast Guard has performed strengthen the management of the Coast marine safety functions since the Bureau Guard’s $24 billion, 25-year Deepwater of Marine Inspection and Navigation was procurement effort by passing the Intetransferred from the Commerce Depart- grated Deepwater Program Reform Act, ment to the Coast Guard in 1942—and we H.R. 2722, which I authored, by a remarkwant to be sure that these functions able vote of 426 to 0. I am confident that remain as central to the Coast Guard as the enactment of H.R. 2722 will help they always were, even as the service restore the trust of the American people in expands its homeland security responsi- the ability of the Coast Guard to manage bilities. taxpayers’ resources and to hold contracOur subcommittee believes that we tors accountable for the quality of the have a unique opportunity to help assets they produce. strengthen both our U.S. Coast Guard and As I close, I want to emphasize that I our maritime industry so that each is the will continue to work as hard as I can to best it can be. The subcommittee has make the changes that I believe need to be already passed two major pieces of legisla- made to ensure that the U.S. Coast Guard tion on the house floor—the Integrated is adequately trained, prepared, and Deepwater Program Reform Act, H.R. equipped for the many critical missions it 2722 and that Maritime Pollution Preven- has been given. I will continue to support tion Act of 2007, H.R. 802, which would the growth of our American maritime institute the legal changes needed to bring industry and to restore a sense of partnerthe U.S. into compliance with the MAR- ship between the industry and the Coast POL Convention, Annex VI. Guard. We have also passed the 2008 Coast Excerpted from remarks made by Congressman Guard Reauthorization Act through the Elijah E. Cummings at the American Salvage full Committee on Transportation and Association’s (ASA) National Maritime Salvage Infrastructure. And recently, we examined Conference 2007. the roll out of the Transportation Worker MARINELOG ISSN 08970491 A Simmons-Boardman Publication 345 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 Tel: (212) 620-7200 Fax: (212) 633-1165 Website: http://www.marinelog.com Advertising Sales UNITED STATES New York Sales Office 345 Hudson St., 12th floor New York, NY 10014 Roland Espinosa Sales Manager Tel (212) 620-7225 Fax (212) 633-1165 E-mail: respinosa@sbpub.com U.S. GULF COAST Jeff Sutley Tel (212) 620-7233 Fax (212) 633-1165 E-mail: jsutley@sbpub.com WORLDWIDE Europe & Australia Representative Donna Edwards, International Sales Manager e-mail: dedwards@sbpub.com Marine Log (UK) Hillreed House, 54 Queen Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 5AD UK Tel: +44 1403 275935 Fax: +44 1403 260633 Korea Young-Seoh Chinn JES Media International 2nd Fl. 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