The American Waterways Operators - Annual Reports 2018 | Page 6

2018 ACHIEVEMENTS
ADVOCACY
■ ■ Enactment of VIDA replaced a patchwork
of state vessel discharge regulations with a
more workable federal framework, increasing
regulatory certainty and reducing risk for
companies and mariners while protecting the
marine environment.
■ ■ Defense of the Jones Act kept problematic
waiver requests and legislation from
undermining this foundational law that
supports economic, national and
homeland security.
■ ■ Enactment of amendments to the Shipping
Act safeguarded our harbor services members
from anticompetitive negotiation practices by
ocean carrier alliances.
■ ■ Our filing of federal lawsuits kept the
pressure on federal agencies to defend their
authority against overreaching state laws.
■ ■ Working with the Coast Guard to implement
Subchapter M safety regulations practicably
led to sound policy that maintained the
highest levels of safety without disrupting
commerce.
■ ■ Our pursuit of sensible regulatory reform
led to the streamlining of unnecessary
or redundant requirements without
compromising safety or the environment.
■ ■ Our engagement with state officials across the
country ensured that our industry was at the
table to inform state and local policymaking
and keep the nation’s cargo moving.
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THE AMERICAN WATERWAYS OPERATORS
2018 ANNUAL REPORT A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT 5 n