Washington Waves for October 14, 2024
Washington, D.C. — Duplicate merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) may be issued free of charge to replace those lost or destroyed because of Hurricane Helene, the National Maritime Center (NMC) announced.
To obtain an expedited replacement credential, the NMC said mariners should provide a statement of loss by fax at 304-433-3412 or email at IASKNMC@uscg.mil. The statement should contain the mariner’s full name, date of birth, reference number (MRN) or Social Security number if the MRN is unknown, address where the replacement credential should be mailed, current phone number and/or email address the NMC can use to contact the mariner with questions, and a description of the circumstances surrounding the loss/destruction of the credential.
Unless otherwise requested, the NMC said any duplicate MMC will include a corresponding medical certificate, if previously issued. If a credential is unserviceable due to damage or if a lost credential is subsequently found, that credential should be mailed to the NMC.
For additional information or feedback, contact the NMC via its online chat or ticketing system, IASKNMC@uscg.mil or 888-IASKNMC (427-5662).
Dockworker Strike
A dockworkers strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports ended after three days with both sides agreeing to extend their contract through January 15. The tentative agreement was viewed as a major win for the International Longshoremen’s Association whose workers got a 61.5 percent raise over six years. The agreement also called for talks to continue on other key issues, including automation.
President Joe Biden, a stout supporter of collective bargaining who had declined to intervene to end the strike, also saw the agreement as a victory for the country.
“We averted what could have become a major crisis for the country,” Biden told reporters.
“I especially want to thank the carriers, the port operators and the longshoremen’s union for reaching this agreement at a time when the nation has experienced such terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene.”
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) celebrated the tentative agreement between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and ILA and the immediate resumption of operations at the impacted ports.
“Without the strong cooperation of management and labor, port authorities simply cannot move cargo, maintain a fluid supply chain and keep our nation’s economy growing,” AAPA President and CEO Cary Davis said.
PFAS Monitoring
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a $7.2 million initiative to Indiana University to continue long-term monitoring of persistent toxic chemicals, including per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the air and precipitation across the Great Lakes.
The funding, which EPA said will be awarded incrementally over the next six years, will support the agency’s Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN), which monitors toxic chemicals at both urban and rural sites across the Great Lakes basin.
Since the 1990s, EPA said, more than a million samples have been taken of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), flame retardants and other toxic chemicals that help assess trends of toxic chemicals in the air, estimate the airborne contribution of toxic chemicals to the lakes and discover emerging chemicals threatening the Great Lakes.
VIDA Standards
On October 9, EPA published its previously announced Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance in the Federal Register. Although that document listed November 8 as the effective date, the new standards will not be implemented for up to two years while the Coast Guard develops and issues corresponding regulations. Until then, vessels will continue to be subject to the existing federal, state and local requirements.
EPA documents are available under Docket No. EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0482 at https://www.regulations.gov. For additional information, contact Jack Faulk at 202-564-0768 or faulk.jack@epa.gov.
