Yet, let's not forget that these options are presently available, but remain unused. Because waterborne commerce via American ports is the most cost-effective means of transportation. No matter what option industry pursues, the result is a higher delivered cost for raw materials and goods. That benefits no one. Our environment will suffer too from these modal and source shifts.
Vessels are the greenest form of transportation.
Their powerplants burn significantly less fuel and produce much less emissions than trains or trucks. There are legal grounds for rejecting the Navigation Assistance Tax. As my examples illustrated, the tax is not specifically targeted to all users of a requested service, something the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. Nor will the revenue generated be applied to the cost of those services, again a violation of a valid tax or user fee. But let's not engage a team of lawyers to debate these points.