VSRA News

FY10 Defense Appropriations Ship Maintenance Language Added

October 16, 2009

THIS JUST IN from Congressman Randy Forbes

While the the congressional conference developing the final FY10 Defense Appropriations Bill DID NOT leave the $200 million in the final bill to cover the ship maintenance shortfall for the fiscal year, the following language, written by Congressman Forbes, was included.  This was a significant victory for our industry and could pay big dividends later in the year.

"Navy depot maintenance

The conferees note that the budget request for ship maintenance would leave $200.0 million in deferred maintenance in fiscal year 2010 for active and reserve ships at a time when it is questionable whether the Navy can sustain ship material readiness while serving as a key element of the Nation's strategic reserve force. The conferees also note that depot maintenance programs were identified by the Chief of Naval Operations as the sole priorities in the Navy's unfunded priority list for fiscal year 2010 that was submitted to the committee.

The conferees are very concerned that continued underfunding of these critical sustainment programs jeopardizes ship material readiness, reduces the service life of the fleet, drives up long-term sustainment costs, and increases strategic risk for the Nation. The conferees urge the Secretary of the Navy to fully resource ship depot maintenance requirements in the future.

While the House and Senate bills added funding to meet 100 percent of the Navy's ship depot maintenance requirement for fiscal year 2010, the conferees note that the House and Senate appropriations committees chose not to provide additional funding, leaving the conferees no option but to authorize at the appropriators' level or risk hollow budget authority. The conferees understand this decision was based on Government Accountability Office analysis of the Navy's historical execution of its ship depot maintenance budget.

Likewise, the conferees have provided additional funding for Navy aviation depot maintenance at the same level as the allowable appropriation but still short of the Navy's unfunded requirement.

The conferees urge the Secretary of the Navy to take action as necessary to demonstrate that the Navy can successfully execute its depot maintenance account to the fullest extent to ensure material readiness."

Our Virginia delegation continues their tireless, strong leadership in support of our vital ship repair industry on both the House and Senate side of Congress.

CDI Marine Analyst Honored by Inside Business

October 16, 2009

At the Norfolk Waterside Marriott last night, 40 leaders under the age of 40 were recognized.  One was James V. B. Lewis, 28, an Analyst in the Contrracts and Planning Division of CDI Marine, a VSRA member company.

Here is what was published about James in this weeks edition of Inside Business announcing the 40 winners:

Home and family Virginia Beach; mother Linda, father Errol, and brother Bryan, as well as my aunt Anne, uncle Kip, and grandfather Jim.
Volunteer activities Elon University Young Alumni Association, For Art’s Sake, Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team, Push America, Sunday School teacher and youth group mentor.
How do you balance your time? I have to write everything down, so I carry around a three-ring binder full of Microsoft Outlook calendar sheet print-outs. Everything I need to do goes in that book.
How do you choose your volunteer activities? Most of my favorite volunteer activities are associated with the groups that I belong to: my church, Christ & St. Luke’s, my university and my fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi.
Advice for young people in the workforce Keep a positive attitude, involve yourself in as much as you can, always do your best, and never burn any bridges.
Your proudest accomplishment I don’t really look at one event in particular as being any better than another; what is important to me is the culmination of everything that has happened in my life so far to bring me to where I am today.
Professional goal in the next five years I really enjoy change and taking on new challenges and opportunities. CDI is a huge company that is involved in a lot of very interesting things, so I foresee that in the next five years there will be a number of interesting paths to travel down. My only set goal is to constantly move forward.
The biggest factor in your success I love to stay busy, so I take on as many different projects as I can. I also refuse to give anything less than my best in everything that I do. I may not get any sleep, but if it’s worth doing, it should be done right.
If you could change one thing about Hampton Roads There are many things that I would like to change, but the one that would probably have the biggest impact on the largest number of people would be to try and fix our transportation network.
The guest list for your dream dinner party? There are a lot of interesting people both past and present that I would love to have over for dinner and conversation, but I think, although completely unoriginal, God would have to be at the top of that list.
What gets under your skin? Negativity, apathy and laziness.

Of note, Michelle Carrera, VSRA Director of Training and Workforce Development, a recipient of the award a couple of years ago, had the privilege of being one of the six judges whose task it was to select the final 40 winners from a very large pool of nominees.

Congratulations to James AND Michelle on your significant accomplishments.

Two Terrific Speakers Scheduled by ASNE

October 14, 2009

The Tidewater Section of the American Society of Naval Engineers has announced their next two speakers.

On Wednesday evening, October 21st, Rear Admiral Clarke Orzalli will spean at a DINNER meeting.  The title of is presentation will be "The Horizon in Fleet Maintenance."  Clarke is the Fleet Maintenance Officer at  Commander Fleet Forces Command.  For more specific details, see RADM Orzalli Dinner Flyer.

On Tuesday,. November 10th, ASNE has the pleasure of welcoming RADM Kevin Quinn, Commander, Naval Surfaces Forces, Altlantic as their lunchoen speaker.  As the Surface Force Chief Operating Officer, he will provide insights on the surface force from his unique vantage point.  For more specific details, see RADM Kevin Quinn Luncheon Flyer.

Berkley Bridge - USCG Request for Comments

October 13, 2009

The Virginia Maritime Association has forwardedthe two documents from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding a Berkley Bridge Temporary Deviation and a Berkley Bridge Proposed Rulemaking concerning the operations of the bridge.   The U.S. Coast Guard is requesting comments regarding both actions.

Barge Builder Fined for Clean Air Violations

October 09, 2009

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
October 9, 2009
Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017
Rhode Island Barge Builder Fined for Clean Air Violations

(Boston, Mass. – Oct. 9, 2009) – Senesco Marine, LLC, which operates a shipbuilding and ship repair facility in North Kingstown, R.I., will pay a $224,000 penalty to resolve EPA claims that the company violated both federal and state clean air regulations.
Senesco constructed its facility on Narragansett Bay without first applying for and obtaining a “new source review” permit to regulate emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Senesco also violated “Title V” operating permit requirements under the federal Clean Air Act, by failing to apply for a Title V permit despite having potential xylene emissions greater than 10 tons per year.
Many of the chemicals used by Senesco are both hazardous air pollutants as well as volatile organic compounds. Exposure to hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic compounds can cause a variety of health problems. Volatile organic compounds also contribute to the formation of ozone. Ozone can damage lung tissue and reduce lung function. Children, the elderly, people with lung disease, and people with asthma are most susceptible.
Senesco also violated the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Facilities, by failing to keep required records of paint usage, and failing to submit notifications and reports to state and federal officials. Senesco builds double-hulled petroleum barges and tug boats and conducts ship repairs on-site making use of a six-acre yard, a floating dry dock, and a 1,200 foot pier. Future compliance with clean air standards will help reduce health risks for Senesco employees and the public generally.
To address the violations identified by EPA, Senesco has submitted a plan to EPA and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) outlining how it will comply with the NESHAP. Senesco has since obtained its new source review permit from and submitted a Title V permit application to RI DEM.
More information:
- EPA clean air enforcement in New England (epa.gov/ne/enforcement/air/index.html)
- Shipbuilding and repair NESHAP requirements (www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/shipb/shipbpg.html)

High Speed Rail Town Hall Meeting - 10/23

October 08, 2009

USCG Ballast Water Meetings

October 06, 2009 The US Coast Guard issued a notice providing the times and locations of the first four of six public meetings to receive comments on its proposed regulations for standards for living organisms in ship’s ballast water discharged in US waters. The meetings will be held in Seattle (September 28); New Orleans (September 30); Chicago (October 2); and Washington, DC (October 8). Times and locations of the last two meetings (planned for Oakland on October 27 and New York on October 29) will be announced later. Written comments should be submitted by November 27. 74 Fed. Reg. 49355 (September 28, 2009). Note: The Coast Guard hopes to provide a live webcast of each public meeting at http://ballastwater.us starting at 0900 local time. Plans also call for making available a recording of each meeting, with more details to follow.

MACOORA Annual Meeting - 11/17 - 11/18

October 06, 2009 Understanding the Coastal Ocean: Partnerships for a Changing World
November 17 and 18, 2009
The Fourth Annual Meeting of MACOORA
Portsmouth, VA  
MACOORA, the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, is proud to host Understanding the Coastal Ocean: Partnerships for a Changing WorldOur meeting will focus on critical partnerships as we navigate through a changing ocean/climate environment, a growing coastal society, and diverging research and information needs.
Our meeting venue is the Renaissance Hotel overlooking the Elizabeth River, where we will also host  our first Exhibition, featuring industry, NGO and partner organizations. Our evening event at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame museum offers many opportunities for networking. We anticipate a diverse audience of users, state and federal agencies and businesses. There is no cost to register for the MACOORA Annual Meeting but you must register in advance:  www.macoora.org/annualmeeting.html
November 17, 2009
The meeting will open with the plenary, Visions of the Changing Ocean, with invited speakers (Dr. Jane Lubchenko, NOAA Administrator; Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney II, USN (Ret.), Monmouth University; Rajendra Pachauri-Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) from the military, congress, industry and academia.
Panel #1, State Partnerships, is moderated by Robert Tudor, Deputy Executive Director of the Delaware River Basin Commission. Invited speakers from the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, NJ Dept. of Transportation, and others will discuss issues critical to the states in the Mid-Atlantic.  Panel #2, Industry Partnerships, moderated by Jay Titlow of Weatherflow, will highlight industry/IOOS partnerships with invited speakers from Fugro Atlantic, the Marine Spill Response Corporation and wind energy companies.  An extended Industry Panel,  Maritime Industry Partnerships, moderated by Ed Kelly, Executive Director of the Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ will host VA/MD pilots, the VA Maritime Association (invited) and port captains.   Panel #3, Federal Partnerships, moderated by Tony Sebers (WFO)(invited) will address key business lines of coastal inundation and climate change, water quality, maritime safety, ecological decision-making and offshore wind. Among our invited speakers are Eric Vowinkle (USGS) and Art Allen (USCG). 
November 18,2009
The morning opening plenary, Mid-Atlantic Ocean Observations: Future Directions, will feature the national IOOS office and its director, Zdenka Willis, and the national regional associations director, Josie Quintrell.  
We are holding two consecutive workshops. DMAC De-Mystified, led by Eoin Howlett of ASA Inc. will explain in understandable terms the complex and highly sophisticated techniques utilized in ocean observations. Outreach and Education, led by Fredrika Moser and Jeff Yapalater of the Freeport Tuna Club, will investigate reaching our audience and
offer practical advice about user/stakeholder engagement and public outreach, web development and connecting with users. 
For More Information:  http://www.macoora.org/annualmeeting.html
Registration
For more information, please contact Liz Smith, exsmith@odu.edu <mailto:exsmith@odu.edu> , 757-683-5842
or Judith Krauthamer, judith.krauthamer@macoora.org <mailto:judith.krauthamer@macoora.org> , 410-461-5017.
Click HERE <http://www.macoora.org/annualmeeting_regform.php?4W,M3,8f208c1d-3656-4bde-9d22-8a5f27723e86> to register.

OSHA Proposed GHS Rule

October 06, 2009

An advance copy of OSHA proposed GHS rule is available. OSHA is proposing to modify its existing Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to conform with the United Nations’ (UN) Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). OSHA has made a preliminary determination that the proposed modifications will improve the quality and consistency of information provided to employers and employees regarding chemical hazards and associated protective measures. The Agency anticipates this improved information will enhance the effectiveness of the HCS in ensuring that employees are apprised of the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed, and in reducing the incidence of chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries.

The proposed modifications to the standard include revised criteria for classification of chemical hazards; revised labeling provisions that include requirements for use of standardized signal words, pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements; a specified format for safety data sheets; and related revisions to definitions of terms used in the standard, requirements for employee training on labels and safety data sheets.

SCA will monitor the status of this rulemaking and work with other business organizations to identify potential impacts on end users.

http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-22483_PI.pdf)

EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule

October 05, 2009

The U.S. EPA has finalized a rule to require facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent to report emissions. Please see full article below from Greenwire with links to the rule and further detail on EPA's Web site. Note: most small companies will fall below this threshold. The threshold was designed to collect data from the largest contributors, accounting for approximately 85% of total US emissions. For those required, data collection is scheduled to begin January 1, 2010.

SCA and EPA, through our Sector Strategies Partnership, developed a GHG emissions inventory tool that can estimate emissions from sources relevant to shipyards. You can find the tool here: http://www.epa.gov/sectors/sectorinfo/shipbuilding.html.

EPA finalizes greenhouse gas reporting rule (09/22/2009)
Robin Bravender, E&E reporter
U.S. EPA today finalized a nationwide system to require large sources of greenhouse gases to report their emissions.
The new rule will require about 10,000 facilities that emit about 85 percent of the nation's greenhouse gases to begin to collect emissions data under a new reporting system, EPA said. Suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial greenhouse gases, motor vehicle and engine manufacturers and other facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent will be subject to the new requirements.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson called the new rule a major step forward in efforts to address the heat-trapping gases.
"For the first time, we begin collecting data from the largest facilities in this country, ones that account for approximately 85 percent of the total U.S. emissions," Jackson said in a statement. "The American public, and industry itself, will finally gain critically important knowledge and with this information we can determine how best to reduce those emissions."

Most small businesses would fall below the 25,000-metric-ton threshold, EPA said, and would not be required to report their emissions. The only agricultural sources that are required to report their emissions are manure management systems at livestock operations where greenhouse gas emissions meet or exceed the 25,000-ton limit. About 100 livestock operations meet that threshold, EPA said.

Facilities are required to begin collecting emissions data on Jan. 1, 2010, and the first emissions reports will be due in March 2011. EPA will verify the data and will not require third-party verification. Prior to EPA verification, the facilities will be required to self-certify their data.

Many industry groups expressed concerns that EPA's draft rule, released in March, would impose significant costs and regulatory burdens. The American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were among the groups that criticized the agency's draft regulations (Greenwire, Sept. 17). Representatives from those groups were not immediately available to comment on the final rule.

Environmentalists applauded the new regulation, which is widely viewed as a major step toward informing future policy decisions on carbon dioxide regulations.

"The public has both a need and a right to know about the country's biggest emitters," said Mark MacLeod, director of special projects at Environmental Defense Fund. "The transparency provided today will inform smart policy that targets the biggest sources of heat-trapping emissions."

Said David Bookbinder, chief climate counsel at the Sierra Club, "I think it shows they're continuing to move along, and they've got a bunch of rules that they've got to get done."

Bookbinder said that the suite of greenhouse gas regulations pending at EPA could give the Obama administration some leverage in upcoming climate change negotiations.

President Obama touted the new reporting rule today at a U.N. climate change summit in New York (see related story). "I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history," he said, citing the reporting rule as one of the administration's achievements on that front.

White House clears GHG proposals
The White House yesterday finished its review of two draft regulations that are part of the suite of climate regulations expected to soon be proposed by EPA.

The Office of Management and Budget has cleared the agency's greenhouse gas "tailoring" rule, as well as its reconsideration of a George W. Bush administration policy on regulating emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The "tailoring rule" is expected to limit strict permitting requirements to industrial sources of more than 25,000 tons a year of carbon dioxide equivalent (Greenwire, Sept. 1).

The White House also cleared a proposal that is expected to detail the Obama administration's reconsideration of the "Johnson memo," a document issued by former EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson asserting that the government should not regulate carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants (E&ENews PM, Sept. 10).

EPA has not yet released the text of the proposals.
Click here to read EPA's greenhouse gas reporting rule.