Since the U.S. maritime industry plays an indispensable role in the defense and economic life of the nation, Congress should enact policies to aggressively promote it, a leading member of Congress told the Propeller Club of Washington, D.C. at a recent luncheon, according to an article on the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department (MTD) web site (www.maritimetrades.org).“It is essential that we need to do more to help you, not just to preserve what you do, but to grow what you do,” said Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). “Our ports, our locks, our dams, the ships, fishermen, tugboat captains – they are all vital to the economic lifeline of the Pacific Northwest. And that’s true, also, of the East Coast.”
According to Smith, the maritime industry provides Oregon with 75,000 jobs and generates more than $1 billion in direct and indirect economic activity. Saying that the United States needs “a viable and vibrant maritime fleet that is commercially and militarily vibrant,” he discussed a broad range of issues – everything from cargo preference to upcoming trade talks.
Smith warned against European efforts to have humanitarian food aid programs included in the DOHA round of trade negotiations. Not only would this hurt U.S. agriculture interests, it would harm the U.S. maritime industry as well.
A comprehensive maritime industry does not have to be put in place all at once, he said. He pointed to the vessel tonnage tax that Congress enacted as being the kind of program that could enhance U.S. maritime competitiveness.
Smith also discussed the importance of securing U.S. energy independence. He said that the United States needs to conserve more and produce more.
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