Topicality Transportation infrastructure investment

Plan is transportation infrastructure investment

investments, short sea shipping investments and dredging. We are at a critical time for

this nation. We face enormous challenges and ports are making the necessary

investments to build and maintain a world-class maritime transportation system, which supports U.S. jobs, our global competitiveness, and our economy. We need our federal partner to make that commitment, too. We urge your Committee to serve as advocates for port infrastructure so that we can meet the challenges for today and tomorrow.

A2 Counterplans

A2: States CP

Too big a project

Josh Filler: Homeland security issues including prevention and protection, An Analysis of the Proposed FY 2013 National Preparedness Grant Program, March 12, 2012, http://www.emergencymgmt.com/emergency-blogs/homeland/2013-homeland-security-grants-UASI-031212.html,

States are inefficient and face budget constraints

The Economist, 11

(America’s Transport Infrastructure: Life in the Slow Lane, The Economist, 4-28-2011, http://www.economist.com/node/18620944, ME)

Formula-determined block grants to states are, at least, designed to leave important decisions to local authorities. But the formulas used to allocate the money shape infrastructure planning in a remarkably block-headed manner. Cost-benefit studies are almost entirely lacking. Federal guidelines for new construction tend to reflect politics rather than anything else. States tend to use federal money as a substitute for local spending, rather than to supplement or leverage it. The Government Accountability Office estimates that substitution has risen substantially since the 1980s, and increases particularly when states get into budget difficulties. From 1998 to 2002, a period during which economic fortunes were generally deteriorating, state and local transport investment declined by 4% while federal investment rose by 40%. State and local shrinkage is almost certainly worse now. States can make bad planners. Big metropolitan areas—Chicago, New York and Washington among them—often sprawl across state lines. State governments frequently bicker over how (and how much) to invest. Facing tight budget constraints, New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, recently scuttled a large project to expand the railway network into New York City. New Jersey commuter trains share a 100-year-old tunnel with Amtrak, a major bottleneck. Mr Christie's decision was widely criticised for short-sightedness; but New Jersey faced cost overruns that in a better system should have been shared with other potential beneficiaries all along the north-eastern corridor. Regional planning could help to avoid problems like this.

The cost of increasing port security, much less carry it out, is just too much for states to handle.

Keefe, 11 (Joseph, Editor in Chief of The Maritime Executive, "Port Security: At What Price, Who Decides and to Whose Account?", The Maritime Executive, January, http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-security-what-price-who-decides-and-whose-account/, SP)

"The Port Commission of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority on Tuesday, in a divided 4-3 vote, approved motions for fee local increases of more than 500 percent and implementation of a marine patrol to be supported by the fee increase. The annual operating cost of the three patrol boats could be as much as $2.9 million by 2011. Ten of eleven speakers at the meeting were opposed to the fee hike, which has taken local users by surprise. Local trade organizations such as the Port Industries of Corpus Christi, an alliance of ship channel industries, and the West Gulf Maritime Association, which represents more than 140 maritime companies on the Gulf Coast, also weighed in against the fee hikes. The whopping increase in fees also comes at a time when most users are ill-positioned to absorb the costs. One shipper who did not want to be identified, estimated that the new fees would cost his firm as much as USD $200,000 annually.

A2: Privates

Congress must fund—a tax would be seen as tariff

Hush, Rall, and Arguinzoni, 12. (Ben, Jamie, Jennifer, National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011-2012 Policies for the Jurisdiction of the Transportation Committee", http://www.ncsl.org/state-federal-committees.aspx?tabs=855,30,674#674, SP)

In order to sustain U.S. leadership in global trade, the nation’s ports must receive adequate federal funds to improve and maintain federal navigational channels. NCSL supports the full use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to maintain the nation’s harbors and calls on Congress to adequately fund deepening projects to modernize our ports. The accumulation of harbor tax receipts at the federal level is a break in faith from the purpose of the Harbor Maintenance Tax and results in the imposition of a competitive burden without providing needed improvements necessary to achieve efficiencies to offset added taxes. 

States face budget constraints that tightens spending

Oliff, Mai, & Palacios, 12

(Phil, Chris, & Vincent, Policy Analyst with the State Fiscal Project, Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School and a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, Research Associate for the State Fiscal Project, States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6-27-12, http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=711, ME)

As a new fiscal year begins, the latest state budget estimates continue to show that states’ ability to fund services remains hobbled by slow economic growth. The budget gaps that states have had to close for fiscal year 2013, the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2012, total $55 billion in 31 states. That amount is smaller than in past years, but still very large by historical standards. States’ actions to close those gaps, in turn, are further delaying the nation’s economic recovery. The budget gaps result principally from weak tax collections. The Great Recession that started in 2007 caused the largest collapse in state revenues on record. Since bottoming out in 2010, revenues have begun to grow again but are still far from fully recovered. As of the first quarter of 2012, state revenues remained 5.5 percent below pre-recession levels, and are not growing fast enough to recover fully soon. Meanwhile, states’ education and health care obligations continue to grow. States expect to educate 540,000 more K-12 students and 2.5 million more public college and university students in the upcoming school year than in 2007-08.[1] And some 4.8 million more people are projected to be eligible for subsidized health insurance through Medicaid in 2012 than were enrolled in 2008, as employers have cancelled their coverage and people have lost jobs and wages.[2] Consequently, even though the revenue outlook is trending upward, states have addressed large budget shortfalls by historical standards as they considered budgets for 2013. The vast majority of these shortfalls have been closed through spending cuts and other measures in order to meet balanced-budget requirements. As of publication all but five states have enacted their budgets, and those five will do so soon. To the extent these shortfalls are being closed with spending cuts, they are occurring on top of past years’ deep cuts in critical public services like education, health care, and human services.

Due to budget gaps, states are reducing spending

Oliff, Mai, & Palacios, 12

(Phil, Chris, & Vincent, Policy Analyst with the State Fiscal Project, Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School and a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, Research Associate for the State Fiscal Project, States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6-27-12, http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=711, ME)

In states facing budget gaps, the consequences are severe in many cases — for residents as well as the economy.  To date, budget difficulties have led at least 46 states to reduce services for their residents, including some of their most vulnerable families and individuals.[4]  More than 30 states have raised taxes to at least some degree, in some cases quite significantly.

If revenues remain depressed, as is expected in many states, additional spending and service cuts are likely.  Indeed, a number of states have made substantial cuts to balance their budgets for fiscal year 2013.  While data are not yet available that would show the mix of state actions to resolve their budget gaps for 2013, the data through 2012 show that states have enacted more and more spending cuts every year since 2008.  Federal aid and state tax increases have played diminishing roles in addressing the gaps, as the emergency federal aid ended and the elections of 2010 changed the political leadership in a number of states.[5]  

Spending cuts are problematic during an economic downturn because they reduce overall demand and can make the downturn deeper.  When states cut spending, they lay off employees, cancel contracts with vendors, eliminate or lower payments to businesses and nonprofit organizations that provide direct services, and cut benefit payments to individuals.  In all of these circumstances, the companies and organizations that would have received government payments have less money to spend on salaries and supplies, and individuals who would have received salaries or benefits have less money for consumption.  This directly removes demand from the economy.

***A2-Disads***

Politics

Port Security Popular

McCarter 7/2 (Mickey McCarter, homeland security reporter for more than 10 years, “Aviation, Port Security Bills Enjoy Bipartisan Support From House Lawmakers” http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/today-s-news-analysis/single-article/aviation-port-security-bills-enjoy-bipartisan-support-from-house-lawmakers/8774d00b80793d7b125324dc9dad3510.html DOA 7/2/12

The SMART Port Security Act, introduced by Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), would improve coordination between US Customs and Border Protection and the US Coast Guard, as previously reported by Homeland Security Today. The bill also would provide relief to port workers who face the prospect of having to renew their Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards in October 2012. Thompson pressed for that provision, given that the Coast Guard has not yet set up readers for the TWIC cards, which essentially have been reduced to regular identification cards despite the promise of their biometric verification capabilities. The cost of a TWIC card, $132.50, for another five-year period would be unreasonably burdensome on port workers who cannot take advantage of all of its security features, Thompson argued. "Changes to the TWIC program could affect offsetting receipts and subsequent direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply," the Congressional Budget Office said of Thompson's provision in a report on June 11. Finally, the GAPS Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to examine gaps in port security and report to Congress with a plan to address those gaps. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.), who sponsored the bill, hailed its passage, 411-9, Thursday. In a statement, Hahn said, "The loopholes that continue to exist in port security keep me up at night. My first question as a member of the Homeland Security Committee was to Lee Hamilton, vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, on what Congress should be doing to protect our ports. Mr. Hamilton's response that Congress wasn't focused enough on our ports meant we needed to act." US ports receive roughly 50,000 calls from ships annually, with 2 billion tons of freight and 134 million passengers, Hahn reported. The contribution of this cargo to the US economy is staggeringly significant, but only 3 percent or less of cargo undergoes scanning. That low amount opens up opportunities for terrorists to smuggle people or weapons into the United States, she argued. A terrorist attack on the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach would cost billions to the economy of California and displace thousands of port workers, Hahn warned. Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, praised the GAPS Act as an effort to prevent such a catastrophe. "It's a tribute to both the importance of the issue and Representative Hahn's tenacity that Congress passed her legislation a mere four months after she introduced the bill," Knatz said in a statement. "Trade gateways, like the Port of Los Angeles, are critical pieces of our nation's economic infrastructure. Keeping these gateways safe is a national priority." Thompson also welcomed passage of all three bills Thursday. "As all of us have a stake in securing our nation, my Aviation Security Advisory Committee bill will ensure that the stakeholders who are expected to comply with the policies and procedures developed by TSA have a seat at the table. Then we can be confident that TSA policies are both effective from a security standpoint and address the economic and commercial realities of our nation's airports," Thompson said in a statement. "The SMART Port Act is rooted in not only the improvements to the TWIC program but also what it seeks to do to improve coordination and cooperation between DHS' maritime components and strengthen procurement practices. This bill is the result of bipartisan efforts to strengthen the security of America's ports and waterways and ensure the Department of Homeland Security's maritime security efforts are as effective and efficient as practicable," Thompson added. "Enactment of the GAPS Act will help ensure that our limited security resources can be targeted to those threats that put our ports at greatest risk. Our nation's ports are as diverse as the people they serve and the importance of this infrastructure to the global supply chain cannot be overstated," he concluded.

Port Security bills enjoy bipartisan support

McCarter, 12. (Mickey McCarter, Senior Reporter for Homeland Security Today, 02 July 12, “Aviation, Port Security Bills Receive Bipartisan Support From House Lawmakers”, http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/today-s-news-analysis/single-article/aviation-port-security-bills-enjoy-bipartisan-support-from-house-lawmakers/8774d00b80793d7b125324dc9dad3510.html) AZ
Democrats applauded last week the passage by the House of several homeland security bills designed to strengthen aviation and port security. The bills, including the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act (HR 1447), the Securing Maritime Activities through Risk–based Targeting (SMART) for Port Security Act (HR 4251) and the Gauging American Port Security (GAPS) Act (HR 4005) enjoyed bipartisan support. None of the bills has companion legislation in the Senate but all three moved there for consideration. The Senate could take up the bills or they could become included in a conference for the homeland security appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, pointed out that Democrats on his committee sponsored to two of the bills and had significant input on the third. Thompson himself introduced the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act, which would authorize the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) to provide feedback on policies and procedures at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The ASAC would be made up of travel industry stakeholders that are impacted by TSA regulations. Under the bill, the administrator of TSA would appoint ASAC members and set up working groups for air cargo, general aviation and perimeter security. The SMART Port Security Act, introduced by Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), would improve coordination between US Customs and Border Protection and the US Coast Guard, as previously reported by Homeland Security Today. The bill also would provide relief to port workers who face the prospect of having to renew their Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards in October 2012. Thompson pressed for that provision, given that the Coast Guard has not yet set up readers for the TWIC cards, which essentially have been reduced to regular identification cards despite the promise of their biometric verification capabilities.

The port security sector endorses the plan.

SIA, 11 (Security Industry Association, “Government Relations: 2011 Public Policy Agenda,” www.siaonline.org/WorkArea/downloadasset.aspx?id=8016Share)
Port Security Grant Program Reauthorization¶ The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act) authorizes $400 million¶ annually in fiscal years 2007-2011 in port security grants. Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) funds may¶ be used for security gates and fencing, remote surveillance, concealed video systems, TWIC card readers,¶ and “other security-related equipment that contributes to the overall security of passengers, cargo, or¶ crew members.”¶ SIA supports reauthorization of the Port Security Grant Program; elimination of the 25 percent match¶ requirement for recipients of PSGP funds; and full program funding in fiscal year 2012.

A2: Spending

Plan is cost effective for the businesses

Abt 03 (Clark C. PhD, Dr. Abt is an Associate of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and Distinguished Professor of Management at Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also the founder of Abt Associates, The Economic Impact of Nuclear Terrorist Attacks on Freight Transport Systems in an Age of Seaport Vulnerability, Abt Associates, April 30, http://www.abtassociates.com/reports/es-economic_impact_of_nuclear_terrorist_attacks.pdf, AJ)

Cargo crime is currently estimated to cost the trading countries of the world some $650 ¶ billion per year in losses. The recommended improvements in container cargo security ¶ costing $10 billion per year could easily pay for themselves by a mere 2 percent ¶ reduction in cargo crime losses, which seems highly likely. Insurance rates are also ¶ expected to come down, providing added savings. ¶ · The recommended cargo tracking systems can improve freight transport efficiency and ¶ the productivity of ports, trade, and production dependent on just-in-time deliveries to ¶ minimize inventory costs.

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