The American Waterways Operators - Annual Reports 2016

■ 2 MESSAGE FROM THE CEO & COO Building on Success, Charting the Future A gainst the backdrop of a challenging economic year for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, AWO delivered results in 2016 that safeguard industry investments, reduce regulatory burdens, promote marine safety and environmental stewardship, and position the association for future success, while exercising constant attention to stewardship, efficiency and cost control. 2016 was a banner year for AWO advocacy, with significant progress on our industry’s most important public policy priorities, from towing vessel inspection to vessel discharge legislation. We defeated or modified harmful policy proposals, from repeated attacks on the Jones Act to onerous state tax and environmental proposals. Our increasingly deep advocacy bench produced impactful legislative testimony and regulatory comments on more than two dozen issues and increased our capacity to deliver future results through a robust program of member and staff outreach to U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers field commanders. We also grew our advocacy capacity by breaking records set in 2015 for members participating in the Barge-In and Congressional staff participating in tugboat and towboat tours. AMERICAN WATERWAYS OPERATORS

The American Waterways Operators - Annual Reports 2016 | Page 4