Port of Oakland boss seeks money and attention from U.S. - San Francisco Business Times:

mcfarlainofuqub1258.blogspot.com
Oakland’s Omar Benjamin, who runs the west coast’sa third largest port, said that in meetings with lawmaker this week he will push for the creation of an officee atthe U.S. Department of Transportation that focuses onport issues. “Wre don’t want to get lost in the discussion” of priorities, Benjamij told the Journal of Commerce in a Wednesdayg press conferencein Washington, D.C. Benjamin was joined by the directores of the other major west coast which areLos Angeles, Long Seattle, Tacoma, Wash. and Portland, Ore. Normally those facilities competd aggressively for cargo much of it involving exportsfrom China.
But the joint lobbyinfg push this week underscorews their hunger for infrastructure development dollarsd and other favorable legislation as well as competition from port s in Canada and West coast ports reported that containetr trafficdropped 21.5 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared with 2008 due to the globapl recession. Meanwhile ports in Canadaw andMexico — while stilol small in comparison to their U.S. counterpartsa — are attracting increasing amounts ofcargo shipping.
And a furtheer threat looms — the Panama Canal expansion is scheduled to be completed as earlhyas 2014, giving shipperw another option to move goods to the Midwest or East The west coast port directors are in Washington this week becauses Congress has begun considering a new $500 billioh surface transportation bill, which must be passed by Septembef or lawmakers can extend the current law. Normallu most of the funding in that bill goes to highwaysx andtransit authorities. The ports hope the new spending bill will include dedicatef funding for cargotransport needs, such as monehy for port security and improved infrastructure.
There are some early indications that port leaderd may gettheir wish. The American Associationn of Port Authorities lauded specific languags ina 90-page surface transportation bill blueprint released by Rep. Jameds Oberstar, the Democratic chair of the Housre Transportation andInfrastructure Committee. His versionh would give priority status to freight andfreigh mobility.