Potential PierPass Hike After Longshore Contract
Los Angeles, CA – The PierPass program may increase fees depending on the outcome of the West Coast dockworkers contract. The President of PierPass, Bruce Wargo, estimates that longshore labor and benefits make up 85% of their costs. The program seeks to alleviate terminal congestion and avoid the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) by encouraging cargo owners to pick up or drop off cargo during Off Peak shifts (6 p.m. – 8a.m.). Contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) began this week.
Read More at the Orange County Register
Boston to Receive Dredge Funding
Boston, MA – The Massachusetts Port Authority will receive $170 million of funding to dredging dredge Boston Harbor. The harbor will be 8 feet deeper when the $310 million project is finished in 2016. This could benefit the region by bringing in up to $2.7 billion in revenue, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Read More at the Boston Herald
U.S. Dept. of State Deregulates Exports on Satellites
Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of State announced that it will remove “commercial, scientific, and civil satellites and their parts and components” from Category XV of the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and be transferred to the Department of Commerce’s Commerce Control List (CCL). For security reasons, this only applies to satellites that “do not contain classified components.” This move is part of President Obama’s Export Control Reform Initiative that seeks to increase competitiveness for U.S. manufacturing and technology.
Read More at the U.S. Department of State
