Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Reform Development Act (WRRDA). The legislation authorizes federal programs for navigation, dredging, flood control and other in-water projects.
The bill included two important provisions for the Port of Tacoma:
– The permanent authorization of Section 214, which is an important tool used to ensure federal permits are processed in a timely manner;
– Language providing limited reform of the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT). While not nearly as comprehensive as is needed, WRRDA provides a positive first step by acknowledging the unique needs of natural deep-water donor ports like Tacoma that do not require maintenance dredging.
The Senate already passed a version of this bill that includes authorizing payments to importers transporting cargo through HMT donor-ports. This provision, crafted by Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, could mitigate some of HMT’s adverse impacts on Puget Sound ports and incentivizes shippers to use U.S. ports.
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Press Release, October 30, 2013