The Biden Administration has set a new path to implementing requirements for compliance with the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). The Office of Management and Budget is currently reviewing a new Supplemental Notice...more
In honor of World Oceans Day, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) reintroduced legislation aimed at addressing the ocean impacts of climate change and reforming federal ocean management to better...more
Mitigating the negative effects of climate change has been a signature issue of the Biden Administration, and if Thursday morning’s hearing on the decarbonization of the maritime industry is any indication, it will also be a...more
Lawmakers have scheduled their first oversight hearing on the issue of decarbonization in the maritime industry. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Transportation is slated...more
As the Biden Administration finds its stride in the first 100 days, we are starting to see movement on several of its key priorities. Chief among them: pivoting to a clean energy economy. A campaign that promised investments...more
Last January, policy professionals from our K&L Gates Maritime Group published a long list of their predictions for the year ahead. This year we are coming back with one major prediction: In the next four years, issues...more
The U.S. Congress returns to work from August break this week, with just four months and fewer than 50 legislative days left in the 116th Congress and its most critical legislative priorities still unresolved. Amongst the...more
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently introduced the Maritime Transportation System Emergency Relief Act (Maritime Relief Act). The bill could be...more
With a presidential election looming and a crowded congressional calendar on the horizon, July is shaping up to be one of the busiest months in recent history for the American maritime industry. ...more
The Jones Act is the foundational law of the American maritime industry, and compliance with it is essential whether you are a vessel operator in the U.S. domestic trades or a foreign operator serving the U.S. market. The...more
K&L Gates maritime professionals work at the intersection of the U.S. federal government and the maritime business. We asked some of them for their predictions about the year ahead regarding the Trump administration, the...more
In December 2019, the U.S. Congress managed to defy expectations and enact several pieces of significant legislation....more
Emanuel “Manny” Rouvelas has been on the front lines of the maritime industry in Washington, D.C. for almost 50 years. He started as the U.S. Senate’s primary maritime staffer in 1969, where he helped write major pieces of...more
On Thursday, August 3, Admiral Mark Buzby was confirmed by voice vote by the United States Senate to become the Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). This is the earliest a MARAD Administrator for an...more
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) primary method of regulating ballast water and other discharges is the Vessel General Permit (VGP). Under its Clean Water Act authority, the EPA established the VGP to impose...more