The Harbor Maintenance Tax finally may be used exclusively for the purpose for which it was initiated: Deepening and maintaining the ship channels in and out of U.S. ports. That is what Congressman John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, assured me of this on the evening of Nov. 29, 2011, in a telephone conversation as he was driving through Maryland.
The Florida chairman stated unequivocally that HMT in the form of the RAMP Bill (Realize America’s Maritime Promise) would be enacted by his committee in the 112th Congress.
Originally, I had been advised that RAMP would be enveloped into the Surface Transportation legislation, which is why I phoned him to determine whether that scenario was still a go before the holidays. He said the House floor schedule would determine whether it would be before the holidays or afterward.
To refresh everyone’s memory, the Harbor Maintenance Tax was enacted in the 1986 Water Resources and Development Act to provide funds for dredging and maintaining the channels at their authorized depth and widths. However, the HMT funds — taxes collected on imports — have been used more to close financial budget gaps instead of their basic purpose.
The Republican House of Representatives intends to change that and provide the funds so the Army Corps of Engineers will have sufficient money to accomplish their purpose.
The RAMP bill will erect a firewall so HMT funds can be used solely for their initially intended purpose. Because the ports of the United States have done such a great task of impressing on their members of Congress the importance of keeping the channels fully operational, the House Republican leadership said loud and clear, “We hear you, and we’re going to act.”