Item No. 11a
Meeting Date: December 8, 2020
Draft Federal Legislative Agenda for 2021
Briefing to Port of Seattle Commission
December 8, 2020
Ryan McFarland, Federal Government Relations Manager, Port of Seattle
Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager, Federal Government Relations, Port of Seattle



1

Overview
2020 Key Accomplishments & 2021 Outlook
Priority Agenda Items  Port-wide, Aviation & Maritime
Additional Issues
Supporting or Engaging
Monitoring
Next steps
Incorporate Commission feedback
Seek Commission adoption at 1/12/21 meeting

2

2020 Successes
Maritime
HMT:
Major HMT reform included in House and Senate WRDA bills
Section 2106 HMT importer payment program finally implemented
Freight funding: $10 million federal grant for terminal 5
Navigation: Design funding for the Seattle deepening project approved in USACE FY20 work plan
Aviation
COVID:
$192 million in SEA funding for 2020/2021; additional airport relief money in both House & Senate versions of CARES2
Supported new legislation from Senator Cantwell for a national temperature screening pilot/program, and from
Representative Larsen for a national aviation pandemic response plan
IAF: Coordinated with CBP DC leadership on IAF opening and operational issues
Aircraft noise and emissions:
Supported House passage of legislation from Representative Smith requiring a national study of ultrafine particles,
and legislation from Representative Jayapal increasing federal funding of residential noise insulation
Supporting new legislation from Representative Smith allowing for secondary insulation of "failed" noise insulation
Impactful Progress on Current Port Priorities
3

2021 Outlook
Divided government in in Washington, DC
Democratic President, Republican Senate and slim majority Democratic House
Limits potential for legislative progress
President has significant authorities to set policy through Executive Order and Agency rulemaking; to reverse
executive actions from previous Administrations
"Personnel is policy"
Potential areas of Port-relevant legislative progress:
Appropriations
COVID-19 relief
Infrastructure
Policing
Potential areas of Port-relevant executive/agency progress:
COVID-19 regulation
Clean Energy/Climate
Trade
Immigration
Potential Opportunities for Progress on Port Priorities
4

Priority Agenda Items  Port-wide: COVID
Relief & Recovery Funding:
Advocate strongly for additional federal relief to offset the pandemic's economic impacts to Port,
tenants, vendors and related industries
Monitor relevant federal agency budget impacts, and advocate for appropriate backfills
Health & Safety Policies:
Advocate for comprehensive federal guidance and standards for air and cruise passenger safety
Support global agreements on testing to re-open international travel



Top Port Priorities  Italics represent new items for 2021
5

Priority Agenda Items  Port-wide: General
Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
Immigration policies that ensure Port success as well as welcoming of local
immigrants and refugees
Rescind Executive Orders that create excessive barriers
Productive, strategic engagement on trade
Rescind tariffs on trading partner allies like Canada, Mexico and the EU
Comprehensive Climate Policies
Support comprehensive proposals for sector-specific and economy-wide solutions to
address the climate crisis and put the United States on the path to a clean and
prosperous economy
Top Port Priorities  Italics represent new items for 2021
6

Priority Agenda Items  Aviation
Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
Raise the federal PFC cap, maintaining Commission oversight
Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
Partner with CBP to ensure success of the IAF
Partner with TSA & CBP to successfully and safely welcome back travelers
Increased Airport Community Focus:
FAA Reauthorization priorities identified by StART
StART federal priorities: Smith ultra-fine particulates bill, Lynch aircraft expert consensus act, Smith
secondary noise mitigation investments bill, alternatives to commercial airplane travel, increased AIP noise
program funding, aircraft & fuel modernization incentives, supersonic & electric aircraft regulation.
Expanded Sustainable Aviation Fuels Deployment:
Use of airport & federal grant revenue for benefits of fuel switching
Federal incentives for research, as well as feedstock processing and fuel production facilities
SAF blender's credit ($2/gallon)
Top Port Priorities  Italics represent new items for 2021
7

Priority Agenda Items  Maritime
Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) Reform:
Reform the HMT to not disadvantage US ports and provide greater equity for donor ports
Secure the "donor port" HMT rebate program
Fishing Fleet Modernization:
Reform NOAA's Fisheries Finance Program (FFP)
for fishing vessels
Increase the FFP loan authority
Seattle and Tacoma Harbor Deepening:
Obtain funding for design for deepening federal
channels serving T-18, T-30 and T-5 in Seattle and support Tacoma feasibility study.
West Seattle Bridge:
Support federal funding for the West Seattle Bridge
Top Port Priorities  Italics represent new items for 2021
8

Priority Agenda Items  Maritime (cont'd)
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Funding:
Advocate for funding for continued federal operation and maintenance of the locks
National Freight Policy and Funding:
Support funding for a strengthened national multimodal freight
strategy and related grant programs, including TIGER/BUILD.
Support sustainable revenue source for freight.
Safe and Efficient Cargo and Passenger Screening:
Advocate for adequate CBP staffing levels
Ensure the federal responsibility for funding CBP services,
equipment and facility development
Puget Sound Restoration:
Support federal resources for Puget Sound restoration
Regulatory reform to speed habitat site development
Support federal engagement in orca recovery
Top Port Priorities  Italics represent new items for 2021
9

Additional Priority Issue Areas: Port-wide
COVID
Support policies, programs and funding to rebuild the U.S. small business sector
Provide clear updates on how current relief is being spent and benefitting region
Play a supportive role in vaccine distribution, where possible
Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
Progressive, balanced trade policies
Permanent protections for DACA-eligible residents
Standardized federal regulations on biometric technology/data
Comprehensive Climate Policies
Investments in renewable energy and low-carbon transportation modes
Rescind Trump Administration executive actions on environmental policy that weaken the nation's
effort on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, deprioritize climate change impacts, put commercial
fisheries at risk, limit the full integrity of NEPA reviews, and increase community exposure to air and
water pollutants.
Support and Engage  Italics represent new items for 2021
10

Additional Priority Issue Areas: Port-wide (con't.)

Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
Increased aviation, maritime and freight-mobility funding through
appropriations or comprehensive investment legislation
Increased Community Focus:
Improve human trafficking prevention and intervention efforts
Advocate for comprehensive federal policing reforms
Rescind Executive Orders that create excessive barriers to racial bias trainings and that unfairly restrict
certain municipalities from federal funding


Support and Engage  Italics represent new items for 2021
11

Additional Priority Issue Areas: Aviation
Sufficient Infrastructure Funding and Flexibility:
Federal and Congressional support for current and future airport capital projects
Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
CBP staffing appropriations and TSA law enforcement grant funding/flexibility
Increased Seattle-based flights into DCA
Increased funding for UAS detection/mitigation;
increased local law enforcement authority
Expedited airfield management program deployment
Increased Community Focus:
Alternatives to fluorinated fire-fighting foams
Federal programs to support indoor air quality near airports, particularly for large facilities with
potentially vulnerable populations
Expanded Sustainable Aviation Fuels Deployment:
Leverage the U.S. Department of Defense as a key partner in sustainable aviation fuels
Support and Engage  Italics represent new items for 2021
12

Additional Priority Issue Areas: Maritime
Diesel Emissions Reductions, DERA and alternative fuels:
Support funding for the EPA DERA program, programs that support alternative fuel use and other
emissions reduction strategies at seaports and Coast Guard facilities
Pebble Mine at Bristol Bay and Offshore Drilling:
Oppose mining activity in the Bristol Bay watershed that put fisheries at risk
Oppose offshore oil and gas drilling in state and federal waters off the WA coast
Jones Act:
Support the Jones Act with limited flexibility to grant waivers
Federal Permitting:
Support federal regulatory funding and uniformity in application of regulations nationwide
Oppose changes that jeopardize the Port's economic, environmental and social missions

Support and Engage  Italics represent new items for 2021
13

Additional Issues to Monitor
Port-wide
Welcoming and Competitive Immigration & Trade Policies:
Real ID implementation
Foreign tourism promotion
Community Focus:
Environmental, economic & workforce development funding & support
Local government priorities, such as housing and transportation
Aviation
Efficient and Safe Airport Operations:
PreCheck expansion and TSA innovation
Air Traffic Control system-wide investments
FAA Safety Management Systems improvement
Appropriate Urban Air Mobility policy and regulation
TSA reimbursements to airports for checkpoint-area janitorial services

Monitor  Italics represent new items for 2021
14

Next Steps
Today  Commission briefing in public session
Now through January 12, 2021  Incorporate feedback received
January 12, 2021  Ask Commission for adoption in public session
February 2021  Meetings with Congressional offices to distribute agenda and share
priorities

Questions?
15