Yesterday, Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown joined a bipartisan group of 25 Senators in calling for full use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for maintenance of the nation’s harbors.
“ For far too long, Washington has skimmed off Harbor Maintenance Tax funds for purposes unrelated to ports or harbors. These funds are intended for the dredging and maintenance of our ports and harbors, which support millions of jobs across Ohio and our country, ” said Portman. “ With the economy still lagging behind, it is more important than ever to ensure robust commerce at our nation’s ports and harbors to grow the economy and create jobs .”
“ Ohio’s ports and harbors are critical for our state’s economic health ,” Brown said. “ By utilizing the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund resources, we can make costly repairs that support Ohio industry and can attract new private investments to our state. We must act now. ”
The Senators wrote yesterday to Jeffrey D. Zients, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, calling his attention to language in the recently passed transportation reauthorization bill containing a statement by Congress calling for full use of the trust fund.
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Dredging Today Staff, August 16, 2012; Image: usace