Page 5 - AAPA Year End Report
P. 5

2016 was a shorter legislative year as Congress focused mostly on the November elections. AAPA’s biggest success in Congress in 2016 was the passage of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) in the closing hours of the 114th Congress. Other seaport-related legislation will be car- ried over to 2017 and the 115th Congress, including ballast water reform and legislation to reauthorize the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grants.
Federal departments and agencies continued to carry out programs that bene t ports based on FY 2016 appropriations. Ports saw additional funds from DOT, DERA and the Corps of Engineers. Final FY 2017 appropriations will not be known until the spring, as Congress passed two Continuing Resolutions rather than a full-year appropriation. AAPA also worked closely with federal agencies and submitted public comments in several areas. Finally, 2016 saw the Department of Homeland Security publish the  nal Transportation Worker Identi cation Credential (TWIC) reader rule, nearly a decade in the making.
Outreach Accomplishments
Throughout 2016, AAPA conducted ongoing initiatives to convey its priorities to federal policy makers and in uencers. For the Presidential election, AAPA developed a special Presidential campaign document for distribution to candidates during the primary and general election campaigns, as well as a document provided to President-Elect Trump’s transition team, highlight- ing the importance of ports and industry priorities. AAPA ad- vocacy efforts were supported through outreach to the media, educational events, and coalition and outreach to maritime partners. AAPA also arranged for policymakers to contribute
to Seaports Magazine and participate in AAPA meetings. AAPA provided real time updates for our members through the Alert newsletter, webinars, committee communications, monthly members-only conference calls, and bi-monthly meetings with DC Port Reps. Examples of the 2016 activities are noted below.
Discussions with Policymakers
w Spring and fall  y-in days, where AAPA and its members met with key policymakers
w Tours for media and Congressional and federal agency staff to the Port of Virginia and Port of Richmond
w Presidential campaign and transition team documents
w Congressional testimony and roundtable participation
w Seaports Magazine feature articles from Senators Barbara
Boxer (D-CA) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Congresswoman Julia
Brownley (D-CA) and MARAD Administrator Chip Jaenichen w Congressional PORTS Caucus brie ngs on Ports 101, HMT
101 and Customs & Border Protection (CBP) staf ng w Federal advisory board and workgroup meetings
§EPA’s Ports Initiative Work Group
§DOT’s Port Performance Work Group §Department of Commerce’s Supply Chain Advisory
Committee
§DOT’s Maritime Transportation Advisory Committee
Outreach to Media and Stakeholders
w More than 450 combined news and feature stories, media mentions, quotes, article placement and published inter- views, including in elite Capitol Hill and national publica- tions such as Bloomberg BNA, The Bond Buyer, CQ Roll Call, E&E News (Greenwire), The Hill, Politico and The Wall Street Journal
w Bi-weekly or monthly lunches with transportation reporters from national and local media outlets
w Joint AAPA/AASHTO phone press conference on State of Freight II
w In uencer roundtables and media tours at Port Houston and Port Corpus Christi
w Coalitions and partner organizations coordinating on Infrastructure Week, Corps funding, freight transportation, homeland security grants and  sh and wildlife permits
w Numerous talks given to outside groups on seaport issues
Keeping Members Informed:
w Provided member updates through the Alert and monthly conference calls
w Developed issue papers and Presidential campaign and transition team documents
w Offered webinars and committee conference call brie ngs on:
§Corps of Engineers programs and funding §Veri ed Gross Mass Container Weights
§Security issues including the TWIC reader rule, cy-
bersecurity and CBP staf ng
§Transportation issues including the National Multi-
modal Freight Network and port performance §Environmental issues including EPA’s Port Emissions
Strategies report and the VW settlement


































































































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