SEPTEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN 25 1.800.777.0714 toll free www.merequipment.com 8-500kW Marine Generators // Pull harder in the harshest marine environments // More copper & premium corrosion resistance // Superior motor starting & low operating temps // Better fuel economy & longer engine life // Easy to service & worldwide dealer support // Proudly made in America WINDOWS DOORS HATCHES CEILING & WALL PANELS ACOUSTIC FIRE RATED WEATHERTIGHT WATERTIGHT WOOD & METAL HONEYCOMB VINYL & RESIN FLOORS MARINE FLOORING SYSTEMS CABIN & GALLEY FURNITURE Pointing to Perfection Director: Steve Hadik (207) 841-5083 shadik@psmaritime.com | www.psmaritime.com LEGISLATIVEREPORT • Merge the Department of Education and the Department of Labor into a single Cabinet agency; • Switch nutrition programs (such as food stamps) from the Agriculture Department into a renamed Department of Health and Public Welfare; • Combine the National Marine Fisheries Service, now in the Commerce Department, with the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service. Ironically, here President Trump has echoed President Obama’s idea. Some PVA members must comply with both agencies’ rules on endangered species and marine mammals; • Sell to private entities electric- ity-transmission assets of the Tennessee Valley Authority and regional power marketing admin- istrations (such as the Bonneville Power Administration of the Pacific Northwest); • Transfer food safety responsi- bilities of the Food and Drug Administration to the Department of Agriculture. PVA members with vessels in interstate commerce are subject to FDA inspections; • Take from the U.S. Coast Guard its responsibilities for bridge permit- ting and aids to navigation and put them into the U.S. Department of Transportation; and • Move some of the civilian functions (including dredging and com- mercial navigation) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other Corps functions (flood control, aquatic ecosystem restoration) would go to the Interior Department, while the military responsibili- ties would stay in the Defense Department. There is certain to be strong opposi- tion to the Trump Administration’s reorganization plan from many quarters. The idea of dismantling the current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and distributing its roles among three different departments (Defense, Interior, and Transportation) is certain to cause major heartburn with advocates for the nation’s navigable waterways. The justification for removing the bridge administration program from the Coast Guard is questionable. The Transportation Department has very little expertise in commercial naviga- tion issues, while the Coast Guard understands the special requirements of waterways users and can balance their needs against those of land-based