Published: 02-11-09
Trust Fund Fix Must Prevent Future Backlogs of Harbor Maintenance
WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) Texas senior Senator and the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation today called on her Senate colleagues to address administrative problems within the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). The HMTF provides funds for operations and maintenance of federal ports and harbors.
Nearly one-quarter of the U.S. gross domestic product flows through our nations federal harbors and ports yet more than half of them are in dangerous states of disrepair. This is leading to inefficient transportation and increased pollution and it raises the risk of vessel groundings and collisions" said Sen. Hutchison.
Currently there is approximately $4.7 billion in the HMTF but these funds are not being used for their intended purpose. I urge the committee to fix the HMTF so that future expenditures match the amount of money received into the fund."
There are 28 seaports in Texas including three of the busiest ports in the United States.
Sen. Hutchison sent the letter signed by 15 other Senators from both sides of the aisle to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Ok.) Chairman and Ranking Member respectively of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) and Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund were established in 1986 to fund operations and maintenance of federal ports and harbors. The HMT is charged against the value of imports and domestic cargo arriving at U.S. ports that have federally maintained harbors and channels and deposited into the HMTF. Today the HMTF has a balance of approximately $4.7 billion; yet this funding is not being used to address the backlog of necessary maintenance dredging needed to sustain our vital infrastructure.
Similar problems occurred with the Highway Trust Fund and the Airports and Airways Trust Fund and Congress enacted legislation to more closely tie trust fund expenditures and revenues. A comparable fix could be considered for the HMTF as the next Congress addresses major transportation funding issues.
