Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced H.R. 3636, the Update, Promote and Develop America’s Transportation Essential Act on December 3, 2013. The committee, commonly referred to as the Committee of Ways and Means, has no cosponsors. The bill would increase the federal excise tax on gasoline to 33.3 cents per gallon after 2015, and before 2025 […]

Calling for a multi-layered approach to protect the health of the Great Lakes, Representative Miller (R-Michigan) thanked the Army Corps of Engineers for their recent study on how to manage invasive species in the Great Lakes, and expressed her concern about the lack of call to immediate action to protect the Great Lakes from the […]

MRAA is reviewing a Discussion Draft of the important Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which provides flexibility to fishery managers and stability for anglers. The Discussion Draft was issued by the House Natural resources Committee. MRAA expects the Committee will introduce the bill in the next several months. Magnuson-Stevens sets fishing plans to re-stock […]

In an expected notice published on January 2, 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration informed the public of its intent to make significant changes to nautical chart printing and distribution. The notice indicated that NOAA wants to expand navigation products and adjust its role in the production of nautical charts necessary for safe navigation. […]

Forward progress was made yesterday, in our opposition against an increase in the ethanol blend, with  Senator Feinstein’s floor statement that introduced the Cord Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act. This legislation would eliminate the Federal corn ethanol mandate from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Please find the floor statement and a copy of the Corn Ethanol […]

MRAA joined with an impressive list of 43 other organizations in a letter to the House Budget Committee, as it went to conference on a Budget Resolution, to consider a strategy to reduce spending by promoting privatization of certain government services. Privatization includes vouchers, asset sales, contracting out, divestiture, franchising, concessions, and public-private partnerships as […]

On December 10 MRAA joined with 40 other organizations in an open letter to Congress and a full page advertisement in Political, a Capitol Hill newspaper, asking Congress to support several bills that have been introduced in both the House and Senate which would eliminate the corn ethanol mandate in the renewable fuel standard (RFS). […]

MRAA Chairman Steve Baum and President Matt Gruhn has asked the President to support the recent decision by the US Environment Protection Agency to waive the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Many have expressed great concern that the market cannot accommodate higher levels of ethanol. “We remain concerned that the new RFS would require more […]

Representatives from fifteen marine trades associations met under the Advisory Council of Marine Associations (ACMA) at the Marine Dealer Conference and Expo (MDCE) to review legislative and regulatory activity at the states and federal government. ACMA serves as the legislative committee of the MRAA Board and prepares resolutions which are presented to the MRAA Board […]

As the Washington Watch goes to press, Congress has passed 55-laws; and with only a few days left before the end of the year, the 113th Congress will certainly go down as the least productive in history. Even the infamous Do-Nothing Congress of 1948 did more. Hyper-partisanship is gumming up the bulk of laws. Most […]