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SCA Weekly Report | April 24-28, 2023
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REGISTER TODAY:
2023 SCA Spring Membership Meeting
May 17-18, 2023
20 F St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Registration for the 2023 SCA Spring Membership meeting in Washington, D.C. is now open. The meeting will be held at the Adams and Reese offices at 20 F St. NW, Washington, D.C 20001.
For more information on the schedule and to register, CLICK HERE
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In conjunction with the 2023 SCA Spring Meeting, SCA will be hosting a fundraiser for Senator Time Kaine (D-VA) at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. If you are interested in attending the fundraiser, please view the flier HERE.
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Save the Dates: Upcoming SCA Meetings
2023 SCA Fall General Membership Meeting: October 11-12, 2023 | Portland, Maine
2024 SCA Winter General Membership Meeting: February 7-8, 2024 | Coral Gables, Florida
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House Transportation Committee Advances Coast Guard Authorization Bill
This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced an amended version of the 2023 Coast Guard Authorization Bill by a vote of 58-3. In addition to providing authorization for USCG programs, the bill also included language related to the enforcement of the Jones Act and activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Section 336 of the bill includes the American Offshore Worker Fairness Act (AOWFA), legislation that SCA has endorsed. The legislation seeks to close a loophole in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) intended to promote the hiring of U.S. offshore workers in U.S. offshore energy activities, while also ensuring these workers had access to offshore energy work in foreign waters. This loophole—while well-intentioned—has not provided reciprocal access to foreign waters for U.S. mariners or companies but has allowed foreign companies with foreign workers from any nation to work on U.S. offshore energy projects paying wage rates far below those commanded by American mariners. Once again, that provision produced a lively discussion amongst committee members, and the committee voted on two amendments related to that section. Both Congressmen Garrett Graves (R-LA) and John Garamendi (D-CA) spoke against any amendments or the withdrawal of the provision from the bill.
In addition to adopting the manager’s package on the bill, the committee took recorded votes on the following amendments:
A full SCA summary of the relevant provisions will be forthcoming upon dissemination of the Committee’s report.
House Passes Debt Ceiling Bill
On Wednesday, the House advanced the Republican plan to increase the debt-limit offset by spending cuts. The chamber advanced the bill on a 217-215 vote; the legislation combines across-the-board spending cuts with other conservative proposals, including stricter rules for social safety net programs and energy production incentives. It's still far from clear that the House GOP plan will change the calculus either at White House or across the Capitol with Senate Democrats. Both have stressed for months, along with their less influential House colleagues, that they want a “clean” debt ceiling increase, with no spending cuts attached. The passage of the bill will increase pressure on the White House and Senate Democrats to find a path forward that raises the debt ceiling which is expected to expire in mid-June.
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U.S. Identifies Gulf of Maine Area for Offshore Wind Development
President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it had finalized an area of nearly 10 million acres in the Gulf of Maine for potential offshore wind development, a major step toward expanding the industry into northern New England.
The announcement was the latest milestone in the government's plan to put wind turbines along every U.S. coastline to help displace fossil fuel for power generation and fight climate change. In a statement, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it would kick off a 45-day period for public comment on the area, which sits off the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The final "call area" was identified after soliciting feedback from tribes, states, the Department of Defense, fishing and shipping industries, and the public. It is nearly 30% smaller than the area BOEM identified in an initial "Request for Interest" last year.
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Ports of LA, Long Beach, and Singapore Collaborate on Green Shipping Corridor
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are working with Singapore to establish a green shipping corridor. The route from Asia across the Pacific will center around low- and zero-carbon shipping fuels and digital efforts to help deploy low- and zero-carbon ships, according to a statement from the Port of LA released Monday.
The collaboration is one of the first announcements to come out of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, which kicked off Sunday and will run through Nov. 18. A forum for countries to discuss actions that can help mitigate climate change, COP27 issued a green shipping challenge for governments, ports, maritime carriers and cargo owners to take meaningful steps to decarbonize the industry.
Silver Ships Delivers Survey Vessel to Corps’ Mobile District
Silver Ships recently delivered a custom-built Explorer 26 to the Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, AL District. The 26' marine survey vessel, Miss Agnes, will conduct hydrographic survey analyses along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The Miss Agnes is powered by twin 200-hp Mercury SeaPro outboards and includes a double jack plate which simultaneously controls both engines when lifting or lowering them within the water. The survey boat is a multibeam and single beam capable vessel that features an enclosed center console, a three-monitor survey station, and an air conditioner unit that is paired with a generator.
Kirby in Barge-To-Ship Methanol Bunkering First
Kirby Corporation has carried out the first two barge-to-ship methanol bunkerings on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Two ships operated by Proman Stena Bulk, the tankers Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous, were refueled with methanol via barge while discharging clean petroleum products at a terminal in the Port of Houston in the first week of April. Stena Pro Marine was bunkered with 1,408 tons of methanol, and Stena Prosperous was refueled with 1,203 tons of methanol during the operation. Both ships were time-chartered to a global trading house at the time of the refueling.
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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the SCA staff.
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