Lautenberg seeks to eliminate harbor maintenance tax on Great Lakes
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., has introduced a bill that would exempt non-bulk cargo moving on the Great Lakes or St. Lawrence Seaway from the harbor maintenance tax.
Lautenberg’s office said the bill, S. 3199, aims to “encourage fewer truck trips on U.S. highways and reduce the nation’s fuel use.”
Proponents of short sea shipping see the harbor maintenance tax as a major impediment to the movement of intermodal cargo along the coasts or on the Great Lakes.
If enacted, the change in the law, would exempt cargo (other than bulk cargo) loaded at a port on the U.S. mainland and unloaded at either another port on the U.S. mainland or at a port in Canada located in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System from the tax. Cargo loaded at Canadian ports located in the Seaway system and unloaded at a port in the United States mainland would be exempt as well.