Template revised September 22, 2016.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
9a
BRIEFING ITEM
Date of Meeting
January 7, 2020
DATE: December 23, 2019
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Ryan McFarland, Federal Government Relations Manager
Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager, Federal & International Government Relations
SUBJECT: Federal Legislative Agenda for 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since January of this year, Port of Seattle government relations staff has worked with
Commissioners, executive team members, and internal subject-matter experts to execute the
Port’s Commission-approved 2019 maritime and aviation federal policy priorities. Despite a
significant number of headwinds on Congressional and Administration action, the Port has been
able to both make substantial and tangible progress on core, long-held priorities while
simultaneously responding to new issues and opportunities as they arise. The draft 2020
agenda is a mix of ongoing work to implement 2019 agenda items as well as new items that
reflect changes to Port priorities or additional work scope that has been added.
Following Commission feedback on this draft legislative agenda, staff will revise and bring a
final proposed agenda for Commission approval next month, and then begin engaging local and
national partners to pursue the successful passage and implementation of these priorities.
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Please note that newly added items for 2020 are italicized, compared to ongoing work that was
also on the 2019 federal legislative agenda.
Priority Agenda Items
Portwide
• Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
a. Be a leading voice on immigration policies that ensure the Port, its partners and
its customers have the workforce to succeed in the global economy, and that
immigrants and refugees are fully welcomed into the opportunities that our
region’s economy provides.
b. Advocate for productive engagement and negotiations that ensure a fair and
level playing field for mutually beneficial trade; ensure that enforcement actions
such as tariffs and quotas are a measure of last resort and, when necessary, be
carefully and narrowly targeted to address the problem and minimize the
unintended impacts on American producers and consumers.
Aviation
• Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
a. Provide leadership on efforts to raise the federal cap on the Passenger Facility
Charge (PFC) from $4.50 while maintaining the Port Commission’s ability to
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 2 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
determine whether or not to change the user fee based on locally determined
needs and competitive dynamics.
• Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
a. Coordinate with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) leadership to ensure
seamless operational readiness and activation planning, and to maximize the
number of CBP officers available and trained to staff the International Arrivals
Facility.
b. Partner with U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) leadership to
continue to address passenger screening wait time issues through increased
staffing, deployment of technology solutions, and increased passenger screening
canine teams.
• Increased Airport Communities Focus:
a. Ensure timely and impactful implementation of key provisions of the 2018
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization’s Subtitle D noise section
as identified by the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART):
i. the provisions related to evaluation of the 65 DNL noise standard
(sections 173, 187 and 188);
ii. the study of the impact of overflight noise on human health (section 189);
iii. and the proposed environmental mitigation pilot program (section 190).
b. Support changes to federal policies, regulations and programs to better align
with local community priorities as identified by the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory
Round Table (StART):
i. Representative Smith’s Protecting Airport Communities from Particle
Emissions Act;
ii. Representative Lynch’s Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus
Act;
iii. legislation to allow for secondary noise mitigation investments in
previously insulated homes, in specific situations where those noise
reduction packages failed or were flawed in some way; and
iv. federal investments and policies that expedite the creation and
implementation of alternatives to commercial airplane travel.
• Expanded Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deployment:
a. Ensure clarity and authority for airports to use airport revenue and federal grant
funding to support the air quality and carbon reduction benefits of fuel
switching.
b. Seek new and expanded federal funding for research on sustainable aviation
fuels, as well as for feedstock processing and fuel production facilities, from
agencies including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and
Transportation.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 3 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
Maritime
• Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) Reform:
a. Continue efforts to reform the HMT to ensure U.S. tax policy does not
disadvantage U.S. ports and to provide greater equity for HMT donor ports
through expanded use of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund revenues.
b. Support appropriations for the “donor port” HMT rebate program authorized
under Section 2106 of the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act
to compensate for the current structure and impacts of the HMT.
• Fishing Fleet Modernization:
a. Advocate for reforms to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Fisheries Finance Program (FFP) that would remove prohibitions on
loans and loan guarantees for the construction and reconstruction of fishing
vessels and that would include safeguards that prevent overfishing, including
limitations on the use of replaced vessels in international fisheries; support
increasing the FFP loan authority, which is presently $100 million annually;
support other policies and programs that improve access to financing in order to
facilitate modernization of the North Pacific fleet.
• Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Funding:
a. Support funding for continued federal operation and maintenance of the locks,
as well as additional funding for priority, non-routine maintenance.
• Puget Sound Restoration:
a. Advocate for increased federal resources for Puget Sound and Southern Resident
Killer Whale (SRKW) restoration, including funding to support habitat
restoration, to manage predation of Chinook and other species critical to SRKW
recovery, to help cleanup legacy sources of contaminants that affect SRKW, and
to manage stormwater runoff. Support 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.
b. Support reforms to federal regulatory processes to speed the approval and
creation of Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) and home port habitat sites.
c. Support federal agency involvement in the SRKW recovery effort, including the
Coast Guard and NOAA. Support federal approval and funding to study and
deploy a hydrophone network to measure ambient noise, evaluate the efficacy of
ship-based noise reduction efforts, and reduce acoustic disturbance of SRKW.
• Seattle and Tacoma Harbor Deepening:
a. Support appropriation for design and construction to deepen the federal
channels serving T-18, T-30 and T-5 in Seattle. Support the feasibility study on
deepening channels in Tacoma Harbor.
• National Freight Policy and Funding:
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 4 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
a. Support implementation and increased federal funding for a strengthened
national multimodal freight strategy and related grant programs, including
continued authorization and funding for the TIGER/BUILD discretionary grant
program. Support establishing a sustainable funding source for freight
infrastructure and ensure user fee proposals 1) do not hurt the competitiveness
of the Northwest trade corridor relative to others in North America; 2) are mode
neutral; and 3) funds should spent on improvements that benefit users who pay
the fees and not diverted to other uses.
• Safe and Efficient Cargo and Passenger Screening:
a. Support adequate CBP staffing levels to ensure efficient movement of cargo
through the Puget Sound gateway and facilitation of cruise passengers. The port
seeks increased federal funding for CBP staffing at maritime ports of entry and
reforms to expedite the hiring of new CBP officers.
b. Pursue efforts to ensure the federal government resumes responsibility for
funding CBP services, equipment and facility development.
Additional Priority Issues the Port of Seattle is Supporting or Engaging on:
Port-wide
• Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
a. Advocate for new trade agreements that open new markets and level playing
fields for Washington employers and others who use the Port as their
international gateway, while creating verifiable, measurable and enforceable
standards to protect workers and the environment.
b. Support permanent legal protections for immigrant children currently eligible for
the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
c. Partner with key local stakeholders to implement programs that showcase the
Port as a welcoming gateway for immigrants and refugees.
d. Support federal legislation on biometric technology and associated data
collection that balances operational needs with protections for privacy, equity
and civil liberties.
• Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
a. Advocate for more federal dollars for airport, seaport and related freight
mobility infrastructure projects, via annual appropriations and/or a
comprehensive federal infrastructure investment package.
• Increased Community Focus:
a. Partner with federal agencies to improve human trafficking prevention and
intervention efforts.
Aviation
• Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 5 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
a. Ensure that federal agencies and members of Congress are supportive of in-
progress and future capital projects and plans; keep federal partners updated on
the progress of the SAMP near-term projects environmental review.
• Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
a. Increase overall funding for CBP officers dedicated to international airport
passenger processing.
b. Preserve TSA funding for Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) reimbursement grants.
c. Support the recommendations of the Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) Mitigation at Airports to improve the integration,
detection, identification, and mitigation of drones in and around airports.
Specifically, airports are calling for increased funding for UAS detection and
mitigation as well as the extension of UAS interdiction authority to trained state
and local law enforcement agencies.
d. Encourage expedited deployment of the FAA’s Terminal Flight Data Manager
(TFDM) airfield congestion management program at Sea-Tac in order to improve
flow and efficiency on the airfield, reducing both delays and fuel-related
emissions.
• Increased Airport Communities Focus:
a. Engage with FAA leadership to speed the transition to non-fluorinated airfield
fire-fighting foams.
• Expanded Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deployment:
a. Pursue policies through the annual National Defense Authorization Act that
leverage the U.S. Department of Defense as a key partner in sustainable aviation
fuels research and implementation.
Maritime
• Diesel Emissions Reductions, DERA and alternative fuels:
a. Support authorization and full funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, which provides
funding for emissions reduction programs. Advocate for federal programs that
support electrification and alternative fuel use at ports.
• Pebble Mine at Bristol Bay and Offshore Drilling:
a. The Port of Seattle Century Agenda commits the Port to actions and policies to
ensure the long-term vitality of the Northwest fishing industry and to being the
greenest, most energy efficient port in North America. The Port believes the
proposed Pebble Mine at Bristol Bay and offshore drilling off the Washington
coastline to be inconsistent with the Port’s Century Agenda goals.
i. The EPA has determined the proposed Pebble Mine at Bristol Bay would
jeopardize one of the world’s last wild salmon nurseries, a finding the fishing
industry has endorsed. The Port of Seattle opposes mining activity and other
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 6 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
development proposals in the Bristol Bay watershed that put Bristol Bay
fisheries at risk.
ii. Offshore drilling threatens our state’s fishing and tourism industries and puts
wildlife habitat at risk. The Port of Seattle opposes offshore oil and gas
drilling in both state and federal waters off the coastline of Washington
state.
• Jones Act:
a. Support the Jones Act and its crucial role in providing the institutional framework
that helps keep the U.S. domestic maritime industry viable. 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.
Additional Priority Issues the Port of Seattle is Monitoring:
Port-wide
• Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
a. Coordinate with federal agencies on implementation of REAL ID by the 2020
deadline.
b. Support federal efforts to increase and facilitate tourism into the United States.
c. Support federal efforts to ensure an accurate 2020 Census.
• Increased Communities Focus:
a. Ensure federal support for efforts to improve the environmental impact of the
Port’s activities, including funding for the port’s emissions reduction and water
quality programs, and Congressional awareness of the Sea-Tac Stakeholder
Advisory Round Table (StART)’s Aviation Noise Working Group initiatives and
progress.
b. Secure additional federal funding for key priorities within the Port’s economic
development, tourism development and workforce development programs.
c. Support the federal priorities of local government partners, such as increased
funding for homelessness & housing, securing transportation investments, and
policies that improve the environment and quality of life for our region’s
residents.
Aviation
• Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
a. Support TSA efforts to expand PreCheck, as well as additional technology
solutions that maximize security and efficiency.
b. Ensure that our nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system continues to support a
fully functioning statewide airport ecosystem and is responsive to community
needs related to aircraft impacts; support increased funding and long-term
investment predictability for ATC infrastructure.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 9a Page 7 of 7
Meeting Date: January 7, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
c. Encourage FAA to provide structure and systemic context to safety management,
and to require airports to establish and maintain a Safety Management System
to manage airfield risk.
d. Encourage a consistent and predictable federal approach to urban air mobility
(UAM) deployment that creates widely agreed upon operating standards and
appropriate integration into the National Airspace System.
e. Monitor discussions related to increased access for Seattle-based flights into
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
f. Support continued funding for TSA reimbursements to airports for checkpoint-
area janitorial services.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS PRESENTATION -
(1) Presentation slides
(2) 2019 Federal Maritime & Aviation Agendas
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
• December 10, 2018 – The Commission approved the 2019 Federal Legislative Agenda.
• November 27, 2018 – The Commission was briefed on the 2019 Federal Legislative
Agenda.
• January 9, 2018 – The Commission authorized staff to pursue the 2018 federal legislative
priorities.
• November 28, 2017 – The Commission was briefed on the 2018 Federal Legislative
Agenda.
