PORTS + POLITICS: Third Edition of the CMTS Federal Funding Handbook Now Online

In August 2017, the third edition was issued to update the catalog of resources and to enhance the formatting and accessibility. It is now available online at www.CMTS.gov.

By Helen Brohl, CMTS

The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (www.CMTS.gov) is an interagency policy coordinating committee, established by presidential directive in 2004 and authorized in statute in 2012 to, among other things, coordinate, improve the coordination of, and make recommendations with regard to federal policies that impact the marine transportation system (MTS). Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao is the chair of the CMTS for which a subcabinet Coordinating Board of 25+ MTS-related agencies and offices provides routine direction and guidance to the committee. The Coordinating Board includes US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, Maritime Administration, NOAA, Federal Maritime Commission, National Ocean Council, and National Maritime Intelligence Integration Office, to name a few.

In addition to supporting interagency teams that address issues related to infrastructure investment, navigation technology, military to mariner, Arctic maritime shipping, maritime data, maritime-related energy, and MTS resilience, the CMTS publishes foundational documents that support greater understanding of federal sources, policies and practices. A great presentation of the breadth and scope of MTS-related agency jurisdictions in the federal government can be seen in the CMTS standard matrix of federal programs in the MTS. [http://www.cmts.gov/Resources/Compendium.aspx].

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