IWR Hosts Committee on the Marine Transportation System Workshop

ALEXANDRIA, VA – March 12, 2008. On February 27, 2008, IWR hosted a workshop for representatives of the interagency Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS), led by their director, Ms. Helen Brohl. CMTS is a partnership of Federal departments and agencies with Marine Transportation System (MTS) responsibilities that makes recommendations to the President for improvements to the MTS.

IWR Director Robert Pietrowsky gave the CMTS visitors an overview of the Institute’s background, mission, and the wide range of water resources activities in which IWR has a lead or major role. These include initiatives on the Civil Works strategic plan and future directions for the Corps, climate change, partnering and international cooperation, risk analysis, hydrologic engineering, and navigation.

CMTS was then briefed by IWR navigation project managers on topics including the Navigation Data Center, the Operations & Management Business Information Link (OMBIL), the Coastal and River Information Service, the Navigation Economic Technologies (NETS) program, the Optimization Tools for Navigation research project, support for the Inland Waterways Users Board, and program monitoring for the Inland Waterways and Harbor Maintenance Trust Funds. The group also received briefing materials on the U.S. Section-PIANC and IWR’s work with the International Joint Commission on studies of the Great Lakes.  Ms. Brohl has a particular interest in the Great Lakes, having served as director of the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association prior to joining the CMTS.

Among the CMTS participants visiting IWR were representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Executive Office, U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Trade Administration.

More About the Committee on the Marine Transportation System

In December 2004 the President’s Ocean Action Plan directed that an interagency cabinet-level committee be formed to coordinate federal actions to address the needs of the Marine Transportation System. This directive led to a charter creating the Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) in July 2005.

The organization includes the cabinet-level Committee (chaired by DOT); a Coordinating Board; an Executive Secretariat and Working Group; and Integrated Action Teams led by individual agencies. Ms. Brohl was selected as the Director of the CMTS Executive Secretariat in July 2006.

The Coordinating Board has four rotating chairs with alternating one-year terms: USCG, NOAA, MARAD and USACE. LTG (retired) Carl Strock served as the first Coordinating Board chair, followed by VADM Lautenbacher, Administrator of NOAA. The current chair is Sean Connaughton, Administrator of MARAD.

Learn more about:

• Committee on the Marine Transportation System