Providence gets ?Buy American? waiver for cranes

Providence gets æBuy AmericanÆ waiver for cranes    The U.S. Maritime Administration has issued a 'Buy American' waiver to Rhode Island's Port of Providence for the purchase of two foreign-built mobile harbor cranes, which are part of its government-backed $10.5 million container terminal upgrade.
   The port needs to replace two aged diesel cranes, one of which is non-operational, with new electric barge-based cranes to allow it to handle more container traffic.
   The port authority requested the waiver because mobile harbor cranes are no longer made in the United States.
   MarAd said it 'consulted and coordinated directly with appropriate industry associations and has determined that it has been more than 15 years since cranes of this type were manufactured in the United States.'
   The agency added that the crane purchase is only part of the overall port modernization and expansion effort at Providence. All other materials for the port project will be acquired from U.S. sources.
   Congress enacted the Buy American provision, requiring materials that are permanently incorporated into a federally funded project to be produced in the United States. However, the transportation secretary may waive this provision if specific materials are not U.S.-made or doing so would unreasonably increase the project's cost.