Are US ports ready for the future?
The AAPA is fighting for a bright future for US ports
In a testimony provided to the US House of Representatives, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has asked if US ports are ready for the future.
Jerry Bridges, chairman of the AAPA and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority has, in his address, sought to answer two questions - what is the value of US ports to the nation and if they are ready to compete for trade in the future.
Mr Bridge’s testimony comes in the wake of a decrease in federal funding for waterside construction in connection with America’s ports - one of the issues Mr Bridges is concerned over. Coupled with this are navigation maintenance issues and the need to bring the problem of landside freight handling to the attention of policymakers – a low priority up until now which has affected ports’ ability to move cargo in and out of the country efficiently.
Mr Bridges said: “While ports are planning for the future, the federal government has not kept pace with the industry or our international competitors. The federal government has a unique constitutional responsibility to maintain and improve the infrastructure that enables the flow of commerce, and much of that infrastructure in and around seaports has been neglected for too long.
“This hurts US business, hurts US workers and hurts our national economy”.
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