Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

Bill: 112-s-1430
Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Air quality
Aquatic ecology
Congressional oversight
Department of Transportation
Energy efficiency and conservation
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental technology
Government studies and investigations
Infrastructure development
Marine and inland water transportation
Military civil functions
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Research and development
Solid waste and recycling
Transportation programs funding
Water quality

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to report to Congress on the status of the nation's coastal and inland waterways infrastructure.
 
Requires the Maritime Administration to assess the potential for using container-on-barge transportation on the inland waterways system.
 
Revises the purposes of the short sea transportation program to include promoting more efficient use of the U.S. navigable waters.
 
Amends the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to allow the Secretary to use National Defense Reserve Fleet and Ready Reserve Force vessels for civil contingency operations and Maritime Administration promotional and media events when in the best interests of the U.S. government.
 
 Authorizes the Secretary to establish a green ships program to identify, evaluate, test, demonstrate, or improve emerging marine technologies likely to achieve environmental improvements by reducing air or water emissions or other ship discharges, increasing fuel economy or use of alternative fuels, or controlling aquatic invasive species.
 
Declares that certain maritime law limitations shall not affect the Maritime Administration's authority to dispose of National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels or shipyards for recycling.
 
Amends the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 to direct the Secretary to provide briefings, upon request, to Congress on progress made to recycle National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels.
 
Extends through FY2025 the Maritime Security Fleet Program.
 
Authorizes the Secretary, subject to the concurrence with the Secretary of Defense (DOD), to acquire certain Maritime Security Fleet vessels being retired for inclusion in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
 
Directs the Comptroller General to study the training needs of the maritime workforce.
 
Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY2012 for the Maritime Administration for: (1) operations and training activities, including specific amounts for U.S. Merchant Marine Academy capital improvements and maintenance and repair for State Maritime Schools training ships; (2) administrative expenses related to maritime guaranteed loan commitments; and (3) the disposal of non-retention vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

action_date: 2011-12-07
text: 
Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - (Sec. 2) Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), with the concurrence of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard (CG) is operating, to report to Congress on the status of the nation's coastal and inland waterways infrastructure.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to investigate, make determinations concerning, and develop a repository of statistical information relating to marine transportation (i.e. intercoastal and intracoastal transportation, inland waterway transportation, ports, and marine facilities.)
 
Authorizes appropriations.
 
Requires the Maritime Administration to assess, and report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to Congress on, the potential for using container-on-barge transportation on the inland waterways system.
 
(Sec. 3) Revises the purposes of the short sea transportation program to include promoting more efficient use of the U.S. navigable waters.
 
(Sec. 4) Amends the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to allow, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Secretary to use National Defense Reserve Fleet and Ready Reserve Force vessels for civil contingency operations and Maritime Administration promotional and media events when in the best interests of the U.S. government.
 
 (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a green ships program to identify, evaluate, test, demonstrate, or improve emerging marine technologies and practices likely to achieve environmental improvements by reducing air or water emissions or other ship discharges, increasing fuel economy or use of alternative fuels and alternative energy, or controlling aquatic invasive species.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations establishing fees to recover reasonable costs for services rendered by the Secretary and academic, public, and non-governmental entities. Requires such fees to be deposited in a special fund to carry out the activities for which the fees were collected.
 
Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the green ships program.
 
(Sec. 6) Requires the agency head responsible for the administration of U.S. navigation or vessel-inspection laws and the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to certify to Congress of the non-availability of qualified U.S. flag vessels to meet national defense requirements in the event that the agency head considers it in the national interest to waive such laws.
 
(Sec. 7) Amends the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 to direct the Secretary to provide briefings, upon request, to Congress on progress made to recycle National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels.
 
(Sec. 8) Extends through FY2025 the Maritime Security Fleet Program.
 
Authorizes the Secretary, subject to the concurrence with the DOD Secretary, to acquire certain Maritime Security Fleet vessels being retired for inclusion in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
 
(Sec. 9) Directs the Comptroller General to study, and report the results to Congress on, the training needs of the maritime workforce.
 
(Sec. 10) Directs the DOT Inspector General to assess: (1) the source selection procedures and practices used to award Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet vessel recycling contracts, and (2) the process, procedures, and practices used for the Maritime Administration's qualification of recycling facilities.
 
(Sec. 11) Prohibits the Administrator of the Maritime Administration and the CG Commandant from receiving, maintaining, dismantling, recycling, or taking any other specified action with respect to the CG's icebreakers Cutter POLAR SEA (WAGB 11) and Cutter POLAR STAR (WAGB 10) until: (1) two years after the appropriate congressional committees receive the polar icebreaker business case analysis for replacing or performing service life extensions on the icebreakers, or (2) the CG has replaced those icebreakers with two &quot;in commission, active&quot; heavy polar icebreakers.
 
(Sec. 12) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY2012 for the Maritime Administration for: (1) operations and training activities, including U.S. Merchant Marine Academy capital improvements and maintenance and repair for State Maritime Schools training ships; (2) administrative expenses related to maritime guaranteed loan commitments; and (3) the disposal of non-retention vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-07
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 252.
action_date: 2011-12-07
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 112-99.
action_date: 2011-12-07
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 112-99.
action_date: 2011-11-02
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate