OSHA Publishes Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Heat Injury & Illness Prevention - On August 30, OSHA published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. This is a significant step toward a federal heat standard to protect workers. The proposed standard would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. The standard would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace. It would clarify employer obligations and the steps necessary to effectively protect employees from hazardous heat. According to the OSHA announcement, “the ultimate goal is to prevent and reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities caused by exposure to hazardous heat.” Comments must be submitted by December 30, 2024.?Click to view the Federal Register notice: here?and at?www.regulations.gov. Comments and attachments may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov, Docket No.?OSHA-2021-0009.
NAWE Welcomes Jacobs as New Member – We are excited to welcome Jacobs as NAWE’s newest member! Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services, including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. The company, which has approximately $16 billion in annual revenue and a talent force of more than 60,000 people, serves clients around the globe, including port authorities, government agencies, private developers, cargo terminal and cruise operators, and some of the world’s leading naval forces.?Jacobs has more than 500 in-house, global ports and maritime professionals and describes itself as "one of the industry’s largest and most highly ranked ports and maritime consultants in the world."?We look forward to working closely with Jacobs to strengthen the voice of our industry.
Registration for NAWE 2024 Annual Meeting Officially Open – As a reminder, registration for our 2024 Annual Meeting is officially open! Join NAWE from Wednesday, November 13 through Friday, November 15 in San Juan, Puerto Rico - click here to sign up! Don’t forget to add the Port of San Juan tour and golf tournament to your cart during registration.
Our conference will take place at the beautiful Hotel Rumbao, where we also have a room block available for meeting attendees. Rooms are available starting Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15 at a rate of $199 + 35 resort fee and tax / per night – click here to reserve your room. Please contact Meg Taft at meg@megtaftevents.com if you have any issues with booking your room.
NAWE to Hold Webinar on Potential Impacts of the 2024 U.S. Presidential & Congressional Election on Maritime Transportation Industry and Supply Chain Priorities – NAWE will be holding a webinar for our members on Thursday, October 24 from 2-3 p.m. ET to discuss recent and significant developments that are unfolding in this year’s congressional and presidential races. This pre-election briefing will not only address the historic developments in this year’s federal elections, but how these races may impact NAWE’s and our legislative and regulatory priorities and interests. Registration details will be available soon.
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Upon Return from August Recess, Congress to Pursue Short-term Funding Measure to Avert October 1 Government Shutdown – When Congress returns from the extended August break next week, lawmakers will have only three weeks to pass a short-term funding patch that averts a federal government shutdown on October 1. The necessity of a continuing resolution (CR) is guaranteed, with the House having passed only five of its 12 fiscal year 2025 spending bills on the floor and the full Senate chamber having passed none. However, the CR House GOP leadership is expected to put on the floor next week is certain to be rejected by the Democratically controlled Senate and the White House and is also uncertain to garner enough support among House Republicans, casting doubt on Congress’s ability to avoid a shutdown.
Prior to adjourning for the August break, Senate appropriators reported all but one of their FY 2025 spending bills out of committee, failing to reach an agreement on the Homeland Security funding bill amid familiar disagreements over immigration-related policy and a reassessment of the Secret Service budget following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Although the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) approved its appropriations bills with overwhelming bipartisan support, none of the measures have been considered on the Senate floor. Senate appropriators still hope to move the Homeland Security bill out of committee, but it is unclear whether Senate leaders will try to pass any FY 2025 spending measure on the floor ahead of the election.
In contrast to the Senate, House Republican appropriators managed to pass all 12 of their spending bills in committee and five measures on the floor. The remaining measures have either failed on the floor, were pulled from consideration, or have proven too controversial to even bring up for a vote. Several of the funding measures were pulled ahead of anticipated votes due to many of the same divisive policy issues and spending disagreements within the Republican conference. To date, not a single individual spending bill has cleared both chambers.
Facing a September 30 deadline, lawmakers have largely run out of time to work on their respective funding bills and congressional leaders must now work out the details of a stopgap measure that will need to pass both chambers before government funding expires at the end of the month. Any CR Congress passes is expected to fund the government at current levels until at least after Election Day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) is planning to put a short-term funding plan on the floor next week favored by the conservative House Freedom Caucus that is both uncertain to garner enough support among House Republicans and is certain to be rejected by Senate Democrats and the White House. The Speaker’s proposed CR would keep federal agencies open until March 2025 at funding levels agreed upon in the debt ceiling agreement (Fiscal Responsibility Act), but without the “side deals” worked out between President Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20). The measure is also expected to include the SAVE Act— a provision that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in a federal election.
Senior House and Senate Democrats are opposed to the funding level proposed in the GOP leadership’s CR, deeming it inadequate and dismissing the SAVE Act as a “scare tactic,” arguing that it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. Republicans are also uncertain that they would have the votes to pass the measure on their own—GOP leadership is facing skepticism from more pragmatic Republicans who want to avoid the possibility of a government shutdown, and there is a contingent of hard-right conservatives who oppose any short-term funding proposals even if they include conservative policy wins.
Both Democrats and swaths of the House Republican conference, including some members of leadership and appropriators, are also opposed to the House Freedom Caucus’ preference of passing a CR that funds the government through March, preferring to resume the funding fight in November or December rather than burdening a new president and Congress next year. Further complicating passage of a stopgap measure, the Biden Administration this week released a 30-page list of extra funding requests that would boost certain federal programs beyond the static spending levels included in a CR. Disaster aid and funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are among those requests.
The NAWE team will continue to monitor progress on the House and Senate fiscal year 2025 appropriations process and report on any significant developments in this area. |
USTR Continues Review of Section 301 Tariff Comments - On July 30, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) indicated its intention to issue its final determination in August regarding its Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation (including USTR’s proposed ship-to-shore crane tariff). On August 30, USTR indicated that it “continues to work to finalize the determination” and intends “to make it public in the coming days.” USTR’s update is available online.
FMC Chairman Maffei to Speak at IANA Intermodal Expo 2024 – On September 11, Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Daniel Maffei will deliver a morning address to the audience attending the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Intermodal Expo 2024.?Information about registration and costs to attend are?available online.
FMC Commissioner Bentzel to Speak at NCBFAA Conference – On September 23, Commissioner Carl Bentzel will address attendees of the National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America’s (NCBFAA) annual Government Affairs Conference.?The event is open to members and non-members of NCBFAA. Information on costs and full program are?available from NCBFAA.
Commissioner Bentzel Delivering Keynote Address at FIATA World Congress – On September 26, FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel will deliver the keynote address at the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) 2024 World Congress.?The event takes place September 23-27.?Program, registration, and cost information is?available online.
Chairman Maffei Addressing Gemini Shippers Association – On September 26, Chairman Daniel Maffei will be the featured speaker at the Gemini Shippers Association members meeting.
Chairman Maffei to Deliver Remarks at NITL – On October 7, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei will speak to the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) Ocean Committee at the NITL Engage 2024 transportation conference.?Schedule, information, and cost information is available on the?NITL website.
Commissioner Bentzel to Speak at VMA 24 – On October 9, 2024, Commissioner Carl Bentzel will address attendees of the Virginia Maritime Association’s VMA 24 International Trade Symposium during a Fireside Chat.?The full agenda of VMA 24 and information about costs and how to register are?available online.
Chairman Maffei Speaking at Maritime Security Conference – On October 10, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei will address the audience attending the Third Annual Maritime Security Conference being held by the New York Council Navy League of the United States.?The theme of this?year’s event is “Securing the Sealanes.” More information about the conference is?available online.
Commissioner Sola Speaking at LNG Event in Panama – On October 18, Commissioner Louis Sola will deliver remarks at the 4th?International GNL Global Forum, an event focused on liquified natural gas projects and bunkering in Latin America and the Caribbean.?Information about the conference is?available online.
Chairman Maffei Joining Panel at University of Tennessee Supply Chain Event – On November 13, 2024, Chairman Daniel Maffei will address attendees of the University of Tennessee Global Supply Chain Institute’s Supply Chain Forum in Knoxville, Tennessee by participating on the “Maritime Challenges and Opportunities: Navigating the Sea of Change” panel.?The Global Supply Chain Institute has published additional information about the event, including schedule, registration instructions, and costs,?on its website.
Commissioner Bentzel to Speak at Houston International Maritime Conference – On November 7, Commissioner Carl Bentzel will participate in a Waterside Chat as part of the Houston International Maritime Conference 2024 program.?Schedule and registration information are?available on the event website. |
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Welcome to Grants Corner! This section of our newsletter will feature available grant funding opportunities that are of interest to NAWE members. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the NAWE staff if you have questions about the specific grant programs included below. Please remain on the lookout for upcoming grant webinars and training sessions hosted by NAWE. |
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NAWE Annual 2024 – We look forward to hosting our 2024 Annual Meeting to be held in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico this November 13-15! The meeting will take place at Hotel Rumbao, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel. Guest rooms are available for $199 per night (plus a $35 resort fee + tax) per night. We hope to see you in Puerto Rico in November!
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Seatrade Maritime Threat of Canada West Coast Port Strike Grows Closer
September 3, 2024
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said that the International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 had confirmed a mandate to strike, however, as yet no 72-hour notice had been issued. Neither have employers issued a similar 72-hour notice of a lockout of employees. |
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