AAPA honors Sen. Byrd

AAPA honors Sen. Byrd The American Association of Port Authorities has selected Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.V., as its Port Person of the Year in recognition for his advocacy in Congress relating to issues of cargo and port security.
   Byrd will receive his award at the port association’s annual Washington People’s Luncheon on April 1 at the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel, where he will also be the keynote speaker.
   As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Byrd helped develop a homeland security package including the Port Security Grant (PSG) program. For the fiscal 2008 Appropriations bill, Byrd included a funding level of $400 million for the PSG program.
   “Sen. Byrd’s consistent effort to fund and secure our ports has been instrumental since Sept. 11, 2001, and AAPA sincerely appreciates his strong leadership and support,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and chief executive officer.