California’s legislators call for national freight policy

Senate Joint Resolution 33 by State Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Ports and Goods Movement, was passed unanimously by the California State Assembly this week. SJR 33 calls on the United States Congress to create a National Freight Policy.

There is currently no such policy to coordinate federal investments in trade infrastructure with any of the myriad of safety, security, environmental and transportation agencies that are intertwined with our national and international supply chains.

“SJR 33 is an acknowledgment of the fact that, while California’s airports, border crossings and seaports are critical national assets that facilitate massive amounts of international commerce, the federal government lacks a coordinated plan to invest in these assets,” said Mike Jacob, Vice President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), a trade association representing ocean carriers and marine terminal operators that do business at California’s public ports.

“The lack of a national freight policy hurts West Coast trade, as self-help states like California will continue to locally bear the costs of both facilitating trade growth and reducing environmental impacts, without the benefit of full federal investment and partnership in trade supporting
investment,” added Jacob.

The adoption of a national freight policy, as requested of Congress by SJR 33, would create a uniform federal interest in improving the flow of cargo through California’s airports, seaports and land ports of entry.