AMO Currents - House subcommittee voices support for RAMP Act, examines dredging needs

AMO Currents - Posted: July 19, 2011

House subcommittee voices support for RAMP Act, examines dredging needs

The House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee this month examined the Realize America's Maritime Promise (RAMP) Act and the dire need for dredging in the nation's ports and waterways.

The RAMP Act (H.R. 104), introduced by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA), would require that revenue coming into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) each year, including interest on the balance, be invested in maintenance dredging of U.S. harbors - its intended purpose. The bill has strong bipartisan support, with a total of more than 100 co-sponsors from the Republican and Democratic parties.

For years, funds collected by the Harbor Maintenance Tax - an ad valorem duty assessed on imported and domestic cargo - have accrued due to inadequate appropriations for dredging. Meanwhile, the nation's ports and waterways have gathered silt, raising channel depths. This neglect creates inefficiencies in the system, costing time and money and creating safety hazards.

The problem is especially acute on the Great Lakes. James Weakley, third vice president of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, testified at the hearing that, "based on the current Army Corps of Engineers dredging budget for FY12, it is very likely some ports in western Michigan may soon be closed for business."

Rep. Boustany urged his colleagues to bring the legislation to the full House for a vote. "This bill creates the fully-funded, long-term dredging plan necessary for realizing our economic potential, not only in Louisiana, but across the country," he said.