June 10, 2005
Volume 62, No. 12
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Agency Actions
- Electronic NOA/D Satisfies Customs and Border Protection Reporting
- CTAC Accepting Applications
In the News
- "Fishermen Call for Improved Salmon Recovery"
- "Tugboat Operator Pleads Guilty in Cape Oil Spill"
- "Ballard Locks Could Have New Backer in D.C. After Tour
Responsible Carrier News
- CEMS Training Opportunities
- Interregion Safety Committee to Meet
- Thirteen New Members Achieve Fully Audited RCP Compliance
Association News
- AWO Seeking Photos, Sponsors for Safety Calendar
- Did You Know?
- Important Dates and Reminders
- New Carrier Members
Regional Reports
- Fish Barrier Update: Decisionmakers Meet and Outline Future
Goals
- Industry Mounts Grassroots Effort to Keep Ballard Locks Open
- AWO Testifies Against California Ballast Water Rule Proposal
- AWO Regional Meetings Scheduled
Agency Actions
Electronic NOA/D Satisfies Customs and Border Protection Reporting
The Coast Guard and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have
joined together to offer vessel operators the opportunity to satisfy
both agencies' advance reporting requirements through the completion
of the electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure (eNOA/D). The eNOA/D
system can be used to fulfill the new CBP Advance Passenger Information
(APIS) requirements, which took effect June 6. APIS requires the
electronic transmission of manifest information for passengers and
crewmembers onboard commercial vessels and aircraft in advance of
arrival in and departure from the United States. APIS is a new system
intended to ensure maritime and aviation security.
Electronic NOA/D reports can be filed online over the Internet,
off-line using Microsoft's InfoPath application, or through direct
XML submission via Web service. The Coast Guard and CBP's preferred
method of submission is the Web-based eNOA/D filing. More information
about all of the filing methods is available on the Internet at
www.nvmc.uscg.gov.
Vessels can continue to use eNOA/D to meet the Coast Guard's arrival
and departure notification requirements for towing vessels moving
barges carrying certain dangerous cargoes (CDCs) in coastal waters
and below mile 235 on the Mississippi River, as well as vessels
that enter the U.S. from a foreign port, regardless of the cargo
carried. AWO members with questions about the NOA/D or APIS reporting
requirements or who would like a copy of the APIS final rule should
contact Amy Brandt at (703) 841-9300.
CTAC Accepting Applications
The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking applications for membership on
the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC). CTAC advises
the Coast Guard on matters relating to the safe transportation and
handling of hazardous materials in bulk on U.S.-flag vessels in
U.S. ports and waterways.
CTAC has eight positions that will become available in December.
Applicants should have experience in chemical manufacturing, vessel
design and construction, marine transportation of chemicals, occupational
safety and health, or marine environmental protection issues associated
with chemical transportation. CTAC members serve three-year terms
and may serve consecutive terms. The committee typically meets twice
a year at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Prospective applicants can access the application form online at
www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/advisory/ctac/ctac.htm. Application forms should
be sent to the Coast Guard by October 28.
Back to Top
In the News
"Fishermen Call for Improved Salmon Recovery"
This Associated Press Story, written by writer Shannon Dininny,
appeared in the May 29 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It is reprinted
here in its entirety.
ASTORIA, Ore. -- On a recent foggy evening near the mouth of the
Columbia River, fisherman Jim Wells was joined by just four other
boats, a far cry from the crowds seen during the heyday of commercial
salmon fishing.
A drastic decline from the promising spring chinook returns of
the past five years has commercial, tribal and sport fishermen alike
criticizing recovery efforts for endangered and threatened salmon.
Some blame poor ocean conditions for the lower returns, while others
point to farmers' irrigation for reducing river flows.
All fault the hydropower system, proving once again that the fish-vs.-dams
debate is far from settled.
"There are several different things that affect a salmon stock,
but by and large, the single biggest thing is the hydropower system
and how it's operated," said Steve Fick, a commercial fisherman
and owner of a cannery.
More than 400 dams have been built in the 258,000-square-mile Columbia
River drainage, including 14 dams on the mainstem Columbia in the
United States and Canada.
The steep fall of the Columbia from its start in the Canadian Rockies
in its course to the Pacific Ocean -- an average of more than 2
feet per mile -- and an average annual runoff of about 198 million
acre-feet made the massive hydrosystem possible.
Today, dams produce as much as three-quarters of the region's
relatively cheap electricity. The development came with a price.
Dozens of fish runs in the Columbia basin have been listed as threatened
or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Billions of dollars
have been spent on recovery efforts, with the federal government
shelling out roughly $600 million each year to improve habitat and
fish returns.
Yet for all that money, little is known about the anadromous fish.
Born in fresh water, the fish face peril from dams, water quality,
water temperature, low stream flows and predation. Ocean conditions,
too, are cyclical, opening fish to new barriers before they return
to the river to spawn.
Spring chinook returns on the Columbia have fluctuated wildly for
decades, from a recent low of 10,194 fish in 1995 to a high of more
than 390,000 in 2001, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Conservation groups worry that the federal government's recent
approaches to salmon recovery prove it is not a priority.
President Bush has opposed any talk of breaching four dams on the
Snake River, the Columbia's largest tributary, to aid salmon recovery.
However, the proposal is again gaining steam as the potential for
a shift in power in the next presidential election draws closer.
The four Snake River dams produce an average of 1,300 megawatts
annually, enough power to serve the city of Seattle but far less
than some other dams in the region.
In addition to the lost power, breaching could pose problems for
grain growers who rely on barge traffic made possible by the dams.
In 2003, 37 percent of all U.S. wheat exports were shipped on the
Columbia, according to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
Fish advocates also have widely criticized a new federal plan for
managing the river for dams, though they scored a victory Thursday
with a judge's ruling that the plan violates the Endangered Species
Act. The plan treated dams as part of the environment, which fish
advocates feared could preclude requiring utilities to make changes
that keep dams from killing fish. The plan also acknowledged the
decline of salmon, but found that dam operations simply should not
increase the rate of decline.
"It's the first time we had seen a plan that actually allows a
species to go extinct," said Nicole Cordan, policy and legal director
for the activist group Save our Wild Salmon.
Cordan praised the judge's ruling, but said concerns remain about
the current administration's understanding of the requirements --
and benefits -- of the Endangered Species Act.
"This is a fish that provides real jobs for the region," she said.
"To allow this fish to go extinct, allows communities to go extinct."
Opponents of the plan have proposed that water be spilled over
the dams this summer, as well as increasing flows, to help juvenile
fish downstream. They fear severe drought conditions may lead to
a repeat of 2001, when the government declared an energy crisis
and spills were curtailed.
The Bonneville Power Administration, the federal agency that markets
the power produced at 31 federal dams on the Columbia River system,
has estimated spill alone would cost $100 million in lost power
revenue this summer.
That could translate to rate hikes of up to 3 percent, said John
Fazio, a senior systems analyst for the Northwest Power and Conservation
council.
"We should really look at how much of a difference does the spill
make," he said. "Are we really getting a significant increase in
survival?"
Scientists for both sides disagree on that point, among others.
For its part, Bonneville notes that much has changed since 2001.
Roughly 3,000 megawatts of new generation from other sources is
available, while demand has declined about 2,000 megawatts because
of economic recession and the collapse of the aluminum industry.
The agency's activities for salmon recovery are guided by the advice
of the council, as well as federal, state and tribal fish and wildlife
managers in the region, said Sarah McNary, senior policy adviser
of endangered species for Bonneville Power.
"We have a high confidence that what we're doing is actually benefiting
both fish and wildlife," she said.
NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency that oversees both recovery
efforts and commercial harvests, has not yet said if it plans to
appeal the judge's ruling. The agency plans to release recovery
plans for different regions of the Columbia basin by year's end.
But under the Endangered Species Act, recovery for salmon is undefined.
In a legal sense, recovery means the species is no longer in danger
of going extinct, but there is no specific number of fish that equals
recovery -- a point that will continue to be up for debate.
The act also has no provisions for an endangered species that continues
to be harvested for food, said Bob Lohn, regional director of NOAA
Fisheries.
"A decision of how many fish you need to produce in order to have
healthy harvests is not addressed in the recovery plan," he said.
"But of course, it's a goal."
In the meantime, salmon fishing was closed on the Columbia this
spring -- a move that wreaked havoc on all aspects of the industry,
including tribal fishermen who harvest salmon for ceremonial purposes
and sustenance.
One sportfishing guide refunded $10,000 -- half his fee -- to 57
customers who canceled in just two weeks, said Trey Carskadon of
the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association.
"They told him that they've had it with the uncertainty of these
runs. They don't really want to come back," Carskadon said.
Turned away from the Columbia, sport fishermen anchored their boats
six-wide at one spot on the nearby Willamette River.
Wells, too, chose to soldier through another commercial season
despite the lower returns. He hasn't missed a season since he started
fishing the Columbia for salmon in 1977, but finds more and more
of his business coming from Alaska fisheries in the summer months,
as well as halibut and crab harvests.
This spring, Wells caught just 10 percent of his chinook harvest
of last year. He estimates the number of fishermen who hold permits
for the Columbia River at 500, but said only about 150 are actively
fishing.
"You look at the economics of it and you wonder why I'm fighting
so hard," he said, stepping into a pickup with a 'Salmon Mean Business'
bumper sticker.
Fick, the fisherman and cannery owner, knowingly agreed. At the
end of the day, Columbia River fishermen probably qualify as an
endangered species, he said.
"We know we're threatened," Fick said. "We just don't know how
to go about getting ourselves listed."
"Tugboat Operator Pleads Guilty in Cape Oil Spill"
This article, by staff writer Shelley Murphy, appeared in The
Boston Globe on May 25. It is reprinted here in its entirety. The
article notes that 37% of U.S. wheat exports are shipped by barge
on the Columbia River. A similar Associated Press story appeared
in numerous newspapers across the country.
A tugboat operator who caused an oil spill in Buzzards Bay two
years ago that contaminated 90 miles of shoreline and killed hundreds
of birds pleaded guilty yesterday to violating federal environmental
laws. Franklin Robert Hill, 53, of Jacksonville, Fla., who left
the helm of the Evening Tide unattended on April 27, 2003, while
tending to a tow line, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston
to violating the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
A plea agreement filed in court yesterday by Assistant US Attorney
Jonathan F. Mitchell and signed by Hill indicates that prosecutors
will recommend prison time for Hill of between 10 and 16 months.
But Hill's lawyer may seek a shorter sentence or probation.
US District Magistrate Judge Robert B. Collings delayed sentencing
until Sept. 21 at the request of Hill's lawyer, Peter Ball, who
said Hill is preparing to leave for a 90-day assignment in the Gulf
of Mexico, where he will captain a boat ferrying crew members to
oil rigs. Collings released Hill on his personal recognizance, but
ordered him to tell the court if he runs afoul of the Coast Guard.
Neither Hill nor Ball would comment on the case yesterday. The
tug boat was towing a barge, owned by Bouchard Transportation Co.
of New York and carrying 4.1 million gallons of fuel oil, from Philadelphia
to a plant in Sandwich when it drifted out of the marked channel
and smashed into rocks. Some 98,000 gallons of oil spilled into
the bay, killing 450 migratory birds, closing shellfish beds, and
polluting beaches in the worst oil spill in Buzzards Bay since 1969.
Bouchard, which is footing the cleanup bill for the oil spill,
pleaded guilty last year to violating environmental laws and paid
a $9 million criminal fine to resolve the case against the company.
By pleading guilty yesterday, Hill acknowledged the government's
claim that he was in charge of the Evening Tide at the time of the
spill and left the wheelhouse unattended for 15 minutes while checking
the tow line as the tugboat neared the Cape Cod Canal.
Hill failed to take a hand-held radio with him when he went to
the stern and so didn't hear a warning call that the Evening Tide
had strayed out of the channel.
Shelley Murphy can be reached at shmurphy@globe.com.
"Ballard Locks Could Have New Backer in D.C. After Tour
This article, by staff reporter Stuart Eskenazi, appeared in
the Seattle Times on June 8. It is reprinted here in its entirety.
How do you get a captive audience with a top federal official
who has the influence to ease the Ballard Locks' budget crisis?
You put him on a 120-foot tugboat and take him on a two-hour tour
of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
That's what leaders in Seattle's maritime industry did yesterday
morning, and their lobbying appears to have paid off.
John Paul Woodley Jr., assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for
civil works, came away from the tour saying that the Ship Canal's
value to the local and national economy has been understated in
the 2005-06 presidential budget. If approved by Congress in the
coming months, the budget would lead to drastic cuts in hours at
the Locks possibly as soon as October -- and hardships for the commercial
and recreational boaters who use them. The maritime business leaders
emphasized to Woodley the significance of the Locks and the Ship
Canal in supporting a variety of commercial activities and the importance
those activities have in the Seattle area and the nation. They also
stressed that the Army's method for funding the various locks around
the country slights the economic impact of the Ballard operation,
which is the busiest in the U.S.
"I think their points are very well taken," said Woodley, whose
role is to present and defend the presidential budget for the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Ship Canal.
"What I saw were a number of shipyards, maintenance facilities,
docking facilities and an enormous infrastructure that supports
pleasure boating. I saw a very busy facility."
While Woodley said the 2005-06 budget is now out of his hands,
he would welcome any invitation to testify before the U.S. Senate
subcommittee considering that budget. He also said he would recommend
future Corps budgets to the White House that more fairly reflect
the commercial enterprise taking place within the Ship Canal. President
Bush appointed Woodley earlier this spring.
The president's budget for the Corps of Engineers for the fiscal
year starting in October calls for a reduction of $2.1 million for
the Ship Canal -- amounting to about a 40 percent cut to the current
level spent on navigation.
Cuts in hours possible
Local Corps officials have said if that budget passes, it could
mean the Locks, currently open around the clock, would operate only
10 hours a day from mid-September to mid-April and 16 hours a day
from mid-April to mid-September.
The budget is awaiting consideration in the U.S. Senate, where
local officials want Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who sits on the
appropriations committee, to ask that the $2.1 million be restored,
forestalling any reduction this fall in hours at the Ballard Locks.
Staffers with Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Rep. Jay
Inslee, D-Bainbridge, also were aboard the tug Gulf Titan, owned
by Western Towboat Co.
"I feel like we educated Mr. Woodley and the congressional offices
on what a big deal it is for the city, state and country that we
maintain the maritime business that we have today," said Ric Shrewsbury,
co-owner of Western Towboat and one of the tour organizers. "Our
hope is that the Senate picks up the fight from here and can restore
the funding for us."
Woodley, who still sports an accent from his Louisiana upbringing,
admitted that he anticipated a Ship Canal that catered mostly to
recreational boating since about two-thirds of all vessels that
use the Locks are pleasure craft. "That activity is not unimportant
or to be denigrated by any means, but it's not what's actually taking
place," Woodley said.
"Although the largest number of vessels going back and forth are
recreational vessels, the commercial component is very significant,
yet very different in character from the commercial component that
passes through 99 percent of the Corps' other lock facilities."
The Ship Canal was slighted in the 2005-06 budget because locks
around the country are competing against each other for funding,
and those that give passage to the largest amount of commercial
tonnage, or cargo, get the most money.
"You look on the Ohio River and you see enormous barges of coal
being transported through those locks," Woodley said. "On the Upper
Mississippi River, you see enormous tows, sometimes with 15 barges
latched together, going down river with a large amount of grain
headed for export in New Orleans.
"But the Lake Washington Ship Canal is entirely different."
Tonnage ranks low
Although the Ballard Locks has the highest number of vessel crossings
in the country at 65,000 a year, it ranks low in commercial tonnage.
In addition to the pleasure boats that use the Locks, many of the
commercial vessels that cross, such as fishing boats and barges
that use the Ship Canal as their port, are not carrying cargo.
Woodley said whatever changes he will make to the funding methodology
will begin with the 2006-07 budget.
"Just because you change the criteria, that doesn't necessarily
mean you get the right answer," he said. "But at least you have
greater confidence that you have arrived at the right answer. Right
now, my confidence that we've arrived at the right answer is not
very high."
Warren Aakervik, owner of Ballard Oil, which sells fuel to vessels
using the Ship Canal, said he told Woodley on the tugboat: "You've
got to do what you've got to do, but at least know what you are
doing before you do it."
Now, Woodley knows.
Back to Top
Association News
AWO Seeking Photos, Sponsors for Safety Calendar
Fifth Annual Photo Contest
AWO is now accepting photos for its fifth annual "Safety Calendar
Photo Contest." We are looking for both "vessel" and "people" photos
to feature in next year's calendar. All prints must be in color,
at least 5 x 7 inches in size, and have the company's name, the
name of the person submitting the photo, and a contact phone number
on the back of the photo.
Electronic photos may be entered, but must be in a "TIFF" or "JPG"
format, at least 300 dpi, and emailed to Traci Fischer at tfischer@vesselalliance.com.
Photos must be received by Friday, August 19 for consideration.
All photos received become the property of AWO, and AWO reserves
the right to use them in other association materials to promote
the industry. If you have any questions about the contest, please
contact Anne Burns at (703) 841-9300.
Safety Calendar Sponsorship Program
Last year, AWO sold its entire stock of 2005 Safety Calendars
in a matter of months. Who purchased these calendars? Thousands
of people who have an interest in safety and a stake in the tugboat,
towboat and barge industry, that's who! If our industry is your
target market or if you would like to help AWO promote safety, then
we have a great opportunity for you!
AWO is now accepting sponsors for its 2006 Safety Calendar. The
calendar is printed in full color and features safety tips and photos
of member company vessels -- all winners of AWO's Annual Photo contest.
There are twelve high-profile sponsorship blocks available, one
featured each month, allowing sponsoring companies to spread the
word about their products and services. To secure a sponsorship,
please complete the attached form and fax to "AWO Safety Calendar
Sponsorship" at (703) 841-0389. For additional information, please
call Anne Burns at (703) 841-9300.
Important Dates and Reminders
- June 16: Inland Harbor Services Meeting, 3:00-5:00 p.m, Biloxi,
MS. For more information, contact Marilyn Clark.
- June 16-17. Southern Region Meeting, Biloxi, MS. For more information,
contact Marilyn Clark.
- August 17-18: Midwest and Ohio Valley Joint Region Meeting,
St. Louis, MO. A reception will be held on August 17. For more
information, contact Lynn Muench at (314) 446-6474
Back to Top
Responsible Carrier News
Interregion Safety Committee to Meet
The Summer meeting of the AWO Interregion Safety Committee will
be held on July 13-14 at The Galt House Hotel, Fourth Street at
the River, Louisville, KY. The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, July 13. A reception will be held at the conclusion of
the afternoon session. The meeting resumes at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday,
July 14 and will conclude by 12:00 noon. The hotel is offering a
sleeping room rate of $95.00 until June 23. Reservations can be
made by calling 1-800-THE-GALT or (502) 589-5200 and mentioning
the American Waterways Operators as the group.
The committee's subcommittees on fall overboard prevention, crew
alertness and lessons plans will meet on the morning of Wednesday,
July 13. All companies are invited to send a representative to the
meeting, particularly company safety and security officers.
Committee members are invited to "bring a mate (or captain or deckhand)"
or anyone else who might benefit from seeing the work of a broad
base of industry safety professionals and helping to learn new ways
crewmembers can help in upgrading the safety culture of the inland
barge and towing industry.
To RSVP for the meeting or for further information, please contact
Kathy Rehak, Manager - Safety Programs, at (703) 841-9300 or krehak@vesselalliance.com.
Thirteen New Members Achieve Fully Audited RCP Compliance
Since January, 13 AWO members have successfully undergone an initial
third-party audit of their Responsible Carrier Programs. Most of
these companies certified compliance well before their deadlines
to do so. AWO is proud of their accomplishment.
The Responsible Carrier Program (RCP), the premier safety management
system for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, is a requirement
of membership for all AWO carrier members. For these newly certified
companies, this achievement underscores their commitment to improved
safety and environmental protection, and is concrete evidence of
their dedication to the continuous journey toward this goal. Congratulations
to them!
The following companies have achieved audited compliance with the
RCP:
- 2-W Towing, Inc., Houma, LA
- Baton Rouge Harbor Service, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA
- Calumet River Fleeting, Inc., Whiting, IN
- Crochet Boat Company, Inc., Bourg, LA
- DRD Towing Co., Inc., Marrero, LA
- Frazier Inland Marine, Cut Off, LA
- Horace Savoie Towing, Inc., Lockport, LA
- Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc., Granite City, IL
- Miller's Launch, Inc., Staten Island, NY
- S & W Marine, Inc., LaRose, LA
- Seaboats, Inc., Portsmouth, RI
- Taira Lynn, Inc., Houma, LA
- Terral RiverService, Inc., Lake Providence, LA
CEMS Training Opportunities
The Crew Endurance Management System (CEMS) is a system for managing
risk factors in maritime work environments that can lead to human
error and performance slumps. The Coast Guard and AWO have been
working together to help companies implement the principles of CEMS.
In this space, AWO will publish details of CEMS training opportunities
around the country. For further information on CEMS training opportunities,
please contact LT Samson Stevens, U.S. Coast Guard, (202) 267-0173.
Back to Top
Regional Reports
AWO Regional Meetings Scheduled
Midwest\Ohio Valley
The Joint Midwest and Ohio Valley Regional Summer Meeting will
be held on August 17 - 18 in St. Louis, MO.
The meeting will begin with a reception on August 17 from 6:00
- 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held on August 18 from 7:00 - 11:00
a.m. The meeting will include updates on the fish barrier, the Missouri
River, and the Waterways Action Plan progress.
Following AWO's business meeting, AWO members are then invited
to join the St. Louis Agri-Business Club's (SLABC) biennial Congressional
Workshop from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a river educational tour.
The host hotel is the newly renovated Hilton Downtown. Rooms are
being held until July 18 at an AWO rate of $139.00, so make your
reservation soon!
Pacific Region
The Pacific Region will hold its Annual Summer Meeting in Seattle
on Thursday, August 11. The meeting will be held at Salty's on Alki
Restaurant, 1936 Harbor Avenue S.W., Seattle.
The meeting will provide attendees with an update on AWO's national
and regional issues, grassroots, and discussion regarding AWO's
regional activities. All Pacific Region members are urged to attend
and participate.
Southern Region
The Southern Region will hold its summer meeting Friday, June
17 at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS. Friday's meeting will
begin with a continental breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and will be preceded
by a reception Thursday evening, June 16 at 6:00 p.m.
Interested members can also register for the meeting via the AWO
Web site at www.americanwaterways.com/southreg.htm.
To register for the Midwest\Ohio Valley or Southern Region meetings,
please complete the appropriate meeting registration form included
with this newsletter and fax it to Marilyn Clark at (985) 674-2291.
A registration form for the Pacific Region meeting will be distributed
with the next newsletter. For further meeting information, Marilyn
can be contacted at (703) 841-9300 or m.clark@earthlink.net.
Midcontinent Office
Fish Barrier Inspection: Decisionmakers Meet and Outline Future
Goals
On June 1, 2005, BG Bruce A. Berwick, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps) - Great Lakes and Rivers Division Commander; RADM Robert
J. Papp, Jr., U.S. Coast Guard - Ninth District Commander; Dan Injerd,
Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IL DNR) - Lake Michigan
Management Section Manager; Darren Melvin, Illinois River Carriers
Association (IRCA) Chairman; and Bill Arnold, AWO Midwest Vice Chairman,
toured the site of the present and the future fish barrier in the
Illinois Sanitary and Ship Canal aboard the Garvey Marine, Inc.
vessel, m/v Julie White.
Mr. Arnold, Mr. Melvin, and AWO outlined industry's long-term
commitment to safety for boat personnel. The industry asked for
a formalized mechanism to communicate during future events and to
consider other options for a fish barrier. The group committed to
open dialogue as the new barrier is constructed and an open process
to evaluate the safety of the barrier before it is activated. (The
Corps' initial evaluation of the experimental barrier will be available
within the next few weeks. The evaluation of the two barriers operating
at the same time will not be done until late this year.) The IL
DNR's permit for construction will only allow activation of the
barrier once Corps testing is done on the barrier(s) and the U.S.
Coast Guard has certified the ability for vessels to transit the
area safely.
The Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) in the vicinity of the fish
barrier is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2005. The Coast Guard
has indicated that it will issue a similar RNA before that time.
For more information, contact Lynn Muench at (314) 446-6474 or
at awo-midcontinent@sbcglobal.net.
Pacific Region
Industry Mounts Grassroots Effort to Keep Ballard Locks Open
The maritime community in Washington State used a powerful and
convincing method to advance the cause to keep the Ballard Locks
open around the clock.good old-fashioned grassroots advocacy! (See
related story, page 5.) Aboard Western Towboat's Gulf Titan, representatives
from Western Towboat, Foss Maritime, AWO and a host of businesses
that rely on the continuous operation of the locks, met with John
Paul Woodley, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Civil Works.
Also present were staffers from the offices of Senator Patty Murray,
Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Jay Inslee.
The influential audience was surprised to learn the unique and
pivotal role the Ballard Locks play in the region. They had been
under the mistaken impression that the locks were used exclusively
for pleasure craft. After a two hour tour of lock-dependent businesses,
they soon realized that the economic impact of restricting hours
on the Locks would be felt as far away as Alaska. Mr. Woodley commented
that he was unaware of a comparable Lock anywhere in the country,
and he assured those in attendance that he would take his newfound
knowledge into consideration when analyzing the Ballard Locks in
the future.
AWO Testifies Against California Ballast Water Rule Proposal
The California Lands Commission held a formal hearing Wednesday,
June 8 in Oakland on a proposed rule relating to ballast water exchange.
Jason Lewis, Vice President - Pacific Region, testified on behalf
of AWO members, detailing the inherent dangers involved in the exchanging
of ballast water for the tug and barge industry. As outlined in
the proposed rule, all vessels that take on ballast from outside
their port of origin would have to perform a ballast water exchange
off the coast of California.
Conducting ballast water exchanges, as outlined under the proposed
rule, would pose serious personnel safety concerns for tugs and
barges. Most barges are unmanned, and ballasting would require crew
members to place themselves in potentially life threatening situations.
AWO will continue to work with the California Lands Commission on
an exemption from the ballast water exchange rule, because of equipment
limitations and the serious safety concerns involved. Both Washington
State and Oregon have tailored their ballast water exchange rules,
in light of the risks they present to tugboats, towboats and barges.
Hopefully, the California Lands Commission will follow suit and
protect crewmembers from the risks associated with this proposed
rule.
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This edition of the AWO Letter is sponsored by:
For further information, contact:
Anne Davis Burns
Vice President - Public Affairs
801 North Quincy Street
Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22203
PH: (703) 841-9300
FAX: (703) 841-0389
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