Oakland port pushes for national freight policy

Oakland port pushes for national freight policy    The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners will consider a resolution supporting a national goods movement policy at its July 30 executive committee meeting, the port said Tuesday.
   The resolution focuses on promoting a national freight policy for funding and investment in port infrastructure tied to goods movement, examples of which include intermodal freight connectors, federal navigation channels and marine highways.
   'With the current global recession, we've seen a sharp decline in the maritime sector, especially at U.S. West Coast ports,' Port Board President Victor Uno said in a statement. 'At the same time, there is greater competition from foreign ports as they make infrastructure improvements, in part through the strong support of their respective national governments. In the U.S., we need a national goods movement policy that will level the playing field for ports and help maintain our international competitiveness.
   'We've had a lot of positive conversations trying to get a national policy to help our ports become more competitive, seek investment for infrastructure projects and work with our legislators to get that needed support.'
   'A national policy has everything to do with our ability to compete on price and quality of service in order to generate revenues and grow our business,' said Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin. 'When the global and U.S. economies begin to recover, we need to have the infrastructure in place to handle moving goods through U.S. ports. The time to invest in port infrastructure is now. Our country cannot afford to miss this window of opportunity.'