Imagine if the federal government used money collected for Social Security instead to plug holes in, say, the Defense budget. That is exactly what’s happening to users of our nation’s ports.
Since 1986, a 0.125 percent tax on imports arriving in U.S. ports has been paid to maintain federal waterways. Congress only spends 50 to 60 percent of the funds generated by the tax annually on dredging and related harbor maintenance expenses. At this time, more than $6 billion of tax proceeds are available in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and are not being spent for intended purposes.
Despite the surplus funds, it’s not uncommon for large U.S. ports to experience reductions in the authorized dimensions of the federal waterways they depend on. In 2011, draft restrictions were placed on the Lower Mississippi River for the first time in 15 years. Why? Because of the Corps of Engineers’ own internal funding policies and the misuse of the tax.
However, Congress could change things in 2012 by passing legislation introduced by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., last year. Boustany introduced the RAMP Act, or H.R. 104. The bill would ensure the amounts credited to the HMTF are used for harbor maintenance. The bill currently has 143 co-sponsors and can put an end to what many call a budgetary shell game, which has left our nation’s waterways and harbors deteriorating while billions of dollars are left in reserve.
To not maintain these harbors impacts domestic and international commerce and puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, not to mention an increased risk of vessel groundings, collisions, allisions and spills. Hundreds of thousands of American jobs depend on this maintenance being accomplished and so does the U.S. economy.