MARITIME 2018 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

PRIORITY AGENDA ITEMS
Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) Reform            National Freight Policy and Funding
and Funding                                 Continue to engage key partners at the national
Continue efforts to reform the HMT to ensure US tax          level to implement and fund a strengthened national
policy does not disadvantage US ports and to provide          multimodal freight strategy and related grant
greater equity for HMT donor ports. Support $50              programs, including the TIGER Discretionary Grant
million appropriation for the "donor port" HMT rebate         program.
program.
Safe and Efficient Cargo Screening:
Fishing Fleet Modernization                           Support adequate Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)
Reform NOAA's Fisheries Finance Program to remove         staffing levels to ensure efficient movement of cargo
prohibitions on loans and loan guarantees for the             through the Puget Sound gateway.
construction of fishing vessels while also including
safeguards that prevent overfishing. Support other           Welcoming and Competitive Immigration
policies and programs that improve access to                 Policies
financing to facilitate modernization of the North             Support permanent legal protections for immigrant
Pacific fleet.                                                        children currently eligible for the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, stay engaged
Seattle Harbor Deepening                             in policy and legal decisions related to immigrants
Support authorization and appropriation for design           and refugees from countries targeted by the "travel
and construction to deepen the federal channels             ban" executive order, and be a leading voice on
serving Seattle container terminals.                           immigration policies that ensure the Port, its partner
and its customers have the workforce to succeed in
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Funding:                the global economy.
Support funding for continued federal operation
and maintenance of the locks, as well as additional           Puget Sound Restoration
funding for priority, non-routine maintenance like the         Support increased federal resources for Puget Sound
filling culvert valve replacement.                               restoration, including appropriations for the Puget
Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project,
Terminal 5 Modernization Project:                   the National Estuary Program, the Puget Sound
Secure federal funding for the Terminal 5                      Geographic Program and the Pacific Coastal Salmon
Modernization Project to meet changing container            Recovery Fund.
industry requirements, ensure the long-term
competitiveness of the gateway and meet our
environmental and community goals.
www.portseattle.org

ADDITIONAL PRIORITY ISSUE AREAS
Welcoming and Competitive Trade Policies      Jones Act
Advocate for trade policies that open new markets           Maintain limited flexibility to grant waivers from Jones
and level playing fields for Washington employers            Act regulations in extraordinary cases when domestic
and others who use the Port as their international            shipping capacity is insufficient to respond to a given
gateway, while creating verifiable, measureable and         need and when Puget Sound domestic maritime
enforceable standards to protect workers and the            stakeholders validate that a waiver is necessary to
environment.                                           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.










For more information on the Port of Seattle's 
P.O. Box 1209                           federal legislative agenda, contact:
Seattle, WA 98111
(206) 787-3000
www.portseattle.org                                                 Ryan McFarland, Port of Seattle
Federal Government Relations Manager
Printed on recycled paper                                        02/2018      (206) 787-3014 | McFarland.R@portseattle.org