The GAO report indicated that said the TWIC readers used in the pilot program produced results that “were incomplete, inaccurate and unreliable for informing Congress and for developing a regulation” that would allow the the readers to be used.  The GAO suggested that a less-centralized approach might work better than a single nationwide identification credential for transportation workers.

A key House oversight panel hearing held earlier this month also cited the fact thatthe TWIC program has been in place for 11 years and still the card exists as little more than a flash ID.

Capt. Paul Thomas, the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) director of inspections and compliance, and a defender of the TWIC program told The Journal of Commerce earlier this week in response to the GAO report, “We’re happy to have the results from the pilot program. We will use them where it is appropriate to use them. We don’t see the GAO report as significantly impacting our way forward with TWIC,” Thomas said. 

Thomas added that the U.S. Coast Guard will review comments to a new proposed TWIC card rule for perhaps as long as a year, and then issue a rule which make take another two years to implement.

The Coast Guard’s proposed rule-making ay require biometric readers for vessels and port facilities handling dangerous bulk commodities, fleeting areas for barges handling those commodities, and vessels or facilities handling more than 1,000 passengers at a time.

Readers would not be required for container terminals because of the enormous cost of such a program.  It is estimated that expanding the biometric reader requirement to facilities such as container terminals would push the annual cost of the reader program to $141.2 million from $26.5 million, according to USCG sources.

The TWIC program has been plagued by problems almost since its inception.  After the TWIC program was begun in 2002 cards it took over five years for the cards to finally start to be issued in 2007.  Most of the initial batch of cards are already reaching the expirations of their five-year life.  Many transportation workers and organizations representing transportation interests have complained about the bureaucratic hassles associated with issuing original cards and renewals.  The GAO report is just the latest in a series of missteps in the implementation of the program.

In fact, wheat export inspection tonnage for this year was running 665 percent higher than it was last year at the same time.  Ports in the Atlantic (247 percent), Texas Gulf (44 percent), Mississippi Gulf (33 percent) were also ahead of last year's levels.

The Pacific and Interior port regions were down significantly from last year at this time.

Overall wheat export inspection tonnages at U.S. ports were running 14 percent higher than a year ago.   

Overall combined cargo tonnage moved through the System by April 30 declined by 17.28 percent compared to 2012.  When put up against last year's April 30 totals, dry bulk cargo tonnage and coal tonnage moving through the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway dropped by 35.84 and 34.21 percent respectively.

Cargo tonnages for iron ore (-17.15 percent) and general cargo, (-13.3 percent) also fell substantially this April compared to last year at the same time. 

Combined U.S. and Canadian grain export tonnages were also slightly donw compared to last year, posting a -1.43 percent decline.

The lone bright spot in the April tonnage report was liquid bulk cargo tonnage which was 34.24 greater than it was in April of 2012.     

The roundtable policy discussion on “Coordinating Federal Efforts to Improve Freight Transportation” is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in room 2253 of the Rayburn House Office Building. 

Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy will join members of the freight panel for Wednesday’s discussion.

Committee rules allow the chairman to designate special panels to inquire into any matter within the Committee’s jurisdiction.  The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation, which held its first hearing on April 24, is tasked with making recommendations to the Committee for improving U.S. freight transportation, which may then be considered for future legislation.

In his three years as the Obama administration's Maritime Administrator Matsuda had an often fractious relationship with U.S. maritime labor.  In fact, in November of 2011 maritime labor organizations including the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots (MMP); the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA); the Seafarers International Union (SIU) and the American Maritime Officers (AMO) called for Matsuda's resignation.

Matsuda, a former congressional staffer, plans to leave his current post at the end of May. He made no mention of his future plans in his resignation announcement.

The Great Lakes export inspection tonnage level reflects a higher increase over 2012 than that of any other port range in the United States.  Nationwide wheat export inspection tonnages are currently 15 percent greater than they were last year at this time.  Export inspection tonnages at Atlantic (238 percent) , Mississippi Gulf (46 percent), and Texas Gulf (34 percent) ports are all running ahead of last year's levels. 

Export inspection tonnages are running lower in the Pacific Northwest (-8 percent) and ports in the nation's Interior (-29 percent).

The surge in Great Lakes export volumes for this spring is attributable, in part, to depressed tonnage figures for 2012 due to last year's drought conditions and predictions for lower crop yields and higher prices which caused farmers to hold on to inventory for higher prices rather than sell in the spring. 

This year the opposite situation may be occurring.  High soil moisture content and mild weather have raised hopes for a large U.S. wheat crop this year that is likely to result in lower prices in the future.  

In April Great Lakes-Seaway News set a new record in terms of the total number of unique readers, barely edging the previous record set in March by one-tenth of one percent.

By contrast, the total number of page-reads of Great Lakes-Seaway News in April was more than 13.7 percent greater than the previous high-water mark also set the month before.

The total number of hits on the Great Lakes-Seaway News website in the month of April fell short of the record number of hits which was posted in November of 2012.