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Panel and Speaker Information Keynote Speakers Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang Fall River Mayor Robert Correia Douglas I. Foy of Serrafix Corporation Rick Armstrong of the Seaport Advisory Council
Panel Discussions Session I: Port Development Rick Armstrong, Director of Port Development, Executive Secretary of the Seaport Council Joseph A. Riccio, Jr., Executive Director of the Bridgeport Port Authority Paul H. Bea Jr., Principal, PHB Public Affairs Kristin Decas, Executive Director, New Bedford Harbor Development Commission
The proposed doubling of freight in the next twenty years presents challenges to industry that a short sea shipping network can help resolve. Currently 92 percent of the freight that travels on the I-95 Corridor is in 53-foot-long trailer trucks, and some of that could be moved instead via vessels between municipal ports. Unlike a large, deepwater port that handles international containers, the model short sea port looks much like an efficient truck terminal and requires only low-cost infrastructure to handle the loading and unloading of wheeled tractor trailers. The ports in our region are ready, and this panel addresses the required port development, economic benefits, and other key aspects of developing a short sea network. Session II: Preliminary Findings of Fletcher Maritime Studies Program Rockford Weitz, Fellow at Fletcher Maritime Studies Program Benjamin Mazzotta, Research Fellow at Fletcher Maritime Studies Program The Maritime Studies Program at the Fletcher School, Tufts University is conducting a study on the potential national security, environmental, and economic benefits of SSS along America's coastlines. Rockford Weitz will present the Maritime Studies Program's preliminary findings on the potential national security benefits of increasing SSS along our coastlines, including maps of potential traffic chokepoints along the I-95 corridor between Maine and Virginia. Benjamin Mazzotta will present the Maritime Studies Program's preliminary findings on the potential economic benefits of shifting freight from I-95 to the marine highway. Session III: How Short-Sea Shipping fits in with other Transportation Thomas S. Cahir, Deputy Secretary, Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works Marygrace M. Parker, Program Coordinator, Freight Mobility, Safety & Security, for the I-95 Coalition Charles D. Itz, President of Itz-Ohlson Transport Roland J. Hebert, Transportation Planning Manager and Deputy Director, Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) Shippers, truckers and government transportation officials will discuss the landside infrastructure, and how to plan and accommodate the trucking movements associated with an active RoRo port. Speakers will explore the investments required to provide the "last mile" funding, building the connections between the Port and the Highway System. The session will also address the critical need to engage the State Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Planning Organization in developing Port infrastructure, and successfully competing for transportation dollars. Session IV: Environmental Benefits, Challengers, and Opportunities Daniel Yuska, Environmental Specialist with the U.S. Maritime Administration Debbi Edelstein, Manager of the Northeast Diesel Collaborative Abby Swaine, Diesel Idling Initiative & SmartWay Transport Partnership, US EPA New England All sectors of the economy, including freight shippers and carriers, are looking for ways to reduce the climate impacts of their activities and to ensure that their investments in infrastructure, land use, and technology create are both "green" and efficient. Advocates for investing in SSS tout the potential environmental benefits of reducing truck highway mileage and shifting cargo to a higher mile-per-gallon mode of transport. Skeptics counter that highway congestion will rebound, truck visits to ports will stay constant or increase, and new vessel trips will mean dirtier emissions. Can SSS offer an environmentally sustainable way to accommodate the expected significant increase in shipping? How do localized impacts weigh against regional and national considerations? Can building greener terminals and running cleaner barges tip the balance? Come hear representatives from government, business, and the nonprofit sector discuss the issues, and engage! |
Last Updated On: 4/9/08
