MARITIME 2018 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

PRIORITY AGENDA ITEMS
• Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) Reform
and Funding
Continue efforts to reform the HMT to ensure US tax
policy does not disadvantage US ports and to provide
greater equity for HMT donor ports. Support $50
million appropriation for the "donor port" HMT rebate
program.

• Fishing Fleet Modernization
Reform NOAA's Fisheries Finance Program to remove
prohibitions on loans and loan guarantees for the
construction of fishing vessels while also including
safeguards that prevent overfishing. Support other
policies and programs that improve access to
financing to facilitate modernization of the North
Pacific fleet.

• Seattle Harbor Deepening
Support authorization and appropriation for design
and construction to deepen the federal channels
serving Seattle container terminals.

• Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Funding:
Support funding for continued federal operation
and maintenance of the locks, as well as additional
funding for priority, non-routine maintenance like the
filling culvert valve replacement.

• Terminal 5 Modernization Project:
Secure federal funding for the Terminal 5
Modernization Project to meet changing container
industry requirements, ensure the long-term
competitiveness of the gateway and meet our
environmental and community goals.

• National Freight Policy and Funding
Continue to engage key partners at the national
level to implement and fund a strengthened national
multimodal freight strategy and related grant
programs, including the TIGER Discretionary Grant
program.

• Safe and Efficient Cargo Screening:
Support adequate Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)
staffing levels to ensure efficient movement of cargo
through the Puget Sound gateway.

• Welcoming and Competitive Immigration
Policies
Support permanent legal protections for immigrant
children currently eligible for the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, stay engaged
in policy and legal decisions related to immigrants
and refugees from countries targeted by the "travel
ban" executive order, and be a leading voice on
immigration policies that ensure the Port, its partner
and its customers have the workforce to succeed in
the global economy.

• Puget Sound Restoration
Support increased federal resources for Puget Sound
restoration, including appropriations for the Puget
Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project,
the National Estuary Program, the Puget Sound
Geographic Program and the Pacific Coastal Salmon
Recovery Fund.

www.portseattle.org

ADDITIONAL PRIORITY ISSUE AREAS
• Welcoming and Competitive Trade Policies

• Jones Act

Advocate for trade policies that open new markets
and level playing fields for Washington employers
and others who use the Port as their international
gateway, while creating verifiable, measureable and
enforceable standards to protect workers and the
environment.

Maintain limited flexibility to grant waivers from Jones
Act regulations in extraordinary cases when domestic
shipping capacity is insufficient to respond to a given
need and when Puget Sound domestic maritime
stakeholders validate that a waiver is necessary to
support the vitality of their industry.

• Thriving and Sustainable Environment
Support authorization and full funding for the EPA
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program.
Oppose mining activity and other development
proposals in the Bristol Bay watershed that put
Bristol Bay fisheries at risk, as well as offshore oil and
gas drilling in both state and federal waters off the
coastline of Washington state.

www.portseattle.org
Printed on recycled paper

For more information on the Port of Seattle's
federal legislative agenda, contact:

P.O. Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98111
(206) 787-3000
02/2018

Ryan McFarland, Port of Seattle
Federal Government Relations Manager
(206) 787-3014 | McFarland.R@portseattle.org