Ports try to avoid deficit ax

Ports try to avoid deficit ax    Ports should be spared from federal spending cuts because they are engines of economic development and job creation that can help lift the country from the brink of another recession, the trade association representing U.S. port interests told a panel tasked with reducing the U.S. deficit.
   'We believe that it is imperative to focus scarce federal resources in those areas that can have the greatest impact on economic growth, immediate and long-term job creation, national security, and our current and future competitiveness in the global economy,' the American Association of Port Authorities said in an Aug. 31 letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
   The so-called 'super committee' is scheduled to begin work this week.
   Congress created the committee to break an impasse on raising the federal debt ceiling so the government can continue to borrow money. As part of the last-minute compromise in early August, congressional leaders agreed to form a committee featuring six Republican and six Democratic lawmakers from both houses that will recommend at least $1.2 trillion in savings in the next decade. Congress has until Dec. 23 to vote up or down on any deal agreed to by the majority of the committee — without adding any amendments. Liberals are seeking a combination of spending cuts and revenue increases to tackle the deficit while the Tea Party and others are insisting only on shrinking the government. If a deal is not reached, automatic spending cuts go into effect.
   Other interest groups are also expected to resist cuts to programs that benefit them.

Nagle

   The AAPA stressed that almost one-third of U.S. productivity is associated with international trade, 99 percent of which by volume moves through seaports.
   '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,' AAPA President Kurt Nagle said in the letter.
   He pointed to the dearth of waterside investment as well as support for highway and rail links that help cargo move to and from ports. The AAPA is also concerned about less money for ports if a proposal to consolidate Department of Homeland Security grant programs goes into effect, as well as cuts to subsidies for phasing out old diesel engines on dredges and reusing dredge material to help protect the environment. ' Eric Kulisch