An eastern North Carolina congressman has introduced a bill meant to safeguard the state’s port communities.
Congressman David Rouzer said the Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act requires the Coast Guard to establish clear, enforceable minimum widths for maritime navigation routes.
For years, Rouzer said shippers, tug and barge operators, fishermen, offshore energy developers, and coastal communities have raised concerns about growing congestion and competing uses along the Atlantic Coast, and the legislation responds to these concerns by establishing firm timelines and standards so the final routes reflect both navigational safety and the realities of a busier Atlantic Coast.
The act, he said, provides much needed certainty to mariners, ports, and coastal communities up and down the coast.
