FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 24, 1998
MARAD Contact: John Swank
Tel.: (202) 366-5807
USCG Contact: Cathy McDermott
Tel.: (202) 267-2304
DOT 214-98
Maritime Conference
Produces
Vision for Future
The first national conference on the marine transportation system successfully produced a bold vision for the system’s future, Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater announced today. The conference’s vision statement for the year 2020 states that "the U.S. Marine Transportation system will be the world’s most technologically advanced, safe, secure, efficient, accessible, globally competitive, dynamic and environmentally responsible system for moving goods and people."
Secretary Slater said that in order to build on the conference’s work, he will form a task force to assess the adequacy of the nation’s marine transportation system. Like the conference, which was held Nov. 17-19 in Warrenton, Va., the task force will include private stakeholders as well as government representatives, and will treat marine transportation as a total system including waterways, ports and their intermodal connections. The Secretary is expected to report to Congress on the task force’s findings by July 1, 1999.
"The vision statement that came out of the conference will enable us to move forward to create a marine transportation system for the 21st century --one that continues to be safe, secure and environmentally sound," Secretary Slater said. "It also will help ensure that the United States maintains a competitive position in the global economy."
The conference also adopted guiding principles for developing strategies and action plans. Working groups addressed issues relating to safety, security, infrastructure, environment and competitiveness, and recommended a framework for collaborative planning and decision making both nationally and locally.
The results of the conference will be published in the Federal Register within 60 days and will be open for comment.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration, both part of the Transportation Department, held a series of listening sessions on the current and desired state of the marine transportation system earlier this year. The concerns they heard formed the basis for the conference’s agenda.
Along with Secretary Slater, a number of federal officials attended the conference to receive and respond to its reports. They embraced the recommendations and offered to work with the Secretary to achieve his vision. They included the deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce, the under secretary for marketing and regulatory affairs at the Department of Agriculture, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, and the deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Water for the Environmental Protection Agency.
###