JULY 2017 • FOGHORN 27 HOW PVA BENEFITS YOU Navigating your risks, day and night. As the owner of a passenger vessel you face tough decisions every day, from hiring qualified crew to making sure your vessel is in prime condition. At Aon, we spend day and night thinking about your maritime risks so buying insurance doesn’t have to be another tough decision. We work with you to develop creative approaches and customized solutions that deliver more efficiencies, improved profitability and greater value. For more information, please call 1.800.730.7053 or visit passengervessel.com/member-resources.html#insurance Risk. Reinsurance. Human Resources. Navigating your Aon Risk Solutions Marine To assist with compliance with the VGP, PVA developed the Manual for Compliance with the Final 2013 EPAVessel General Permit (VGP) for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of a Vessel. PVA’s manual can be found on the “Members Only” section of the PVA website. This guide distills the more than 300-page VGP into a streamlined tool focused on discharges applicable to passenger vessel operations. Smaller commercial vessels, those less than 79 feet in length with no ballast water discharges, operate under a statutory exemption from compliance with the VGP. This exemption is based on an EPA report to Congress proving that discharges from “smaller” vessels have minimal impact. This exemption is set to run out at the end of this year. PVA, along with a coalition of maritime groups, are advocating for passage of legislation that would permanently keep small vessels from the unneces- sary requirements of the VGP. More in- formation on this bill, the Commercial Vessel Incidental Discharges Act (CVIDA), can be found in previous FOGHORN articles on PVA’s legisla- tive priorities (see FOGHORN’s January/ February edition, page 30). Clean Diesel Engine Grant Program PVA promotes the Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program to help members finance engine replacements and repowers. This federal grant program is administered through the EPA and funded by the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). PVA was encouraged to see that this year’s grant request for proposals had grown to include $34 million in available funding and adding Clean Alternative Fuel Conversions to the list of eligible projects. Over the years, several PVA members have benefited from this program with successful grant awards. These PVA members have worked to improve air quality and protect the health of their operating environment by reducing emissions from diesel engines through projects funded by this program.  These programs are only a few of the ways in which PVA supports its members’ commitment to operating in an environmentally responsible manner. n “PVA, along with a coalition of maritime groups, are advocating for passage of legislation that would permanently keep small vessels from the unnecessary requirements of the VGP.”