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An Editor-to-Editor Podcast for JOC.com
JOC Editor R.G. Edmonson discusses prospects for growth in use of marine highways in North America on the conclusion of The Journal of Commerce 2011 North American Marine Highways conference and shares highlights of the two-day meeting with top government leaders, including DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and business executives in this JOC podcast with Managing Editor-Digital Media Dana L. Brundage.
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North American Marine Highways news:
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LaHood's 'Roadmap to the Future'
Transcript:
Q: You and Judy Rovins recently co-chaired the 8th Annual Journal of Commerce North American Marine Highways Conference and I wanted to ask you were some of the highlights this year?
Bob: Let me start by saying that the conference was a huge success. I had nothing but positive feedback from people who were there. And because of that it's hard to separate one or two from the list of the really outstanding speakers that we had. We had Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood there, who spoke to us for the second year in a row. We also had Sean T. Connaughton, who is the former maritime administrator, now the secretary of transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a number of others. It would take a long time to list them all and I’m afraid that if I tried to separate one or two I'd omit someone who deserved a little recognition also. This time we did something that was the first for us and may be the first of the Journal of Commerce. We awarded a Maritime Highways Champion Award to Sonney Jones, who is a very, very talented logistics manager for Mohawk Industries who has found unique ways to integrate water transportation into his supply chain.
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I applaud Bob and others who participate - but when is reality going to set in? Where will the money come from to do this - the Marine Highway? A Federal Goverment deep in debt and creating bigger and bigger deficits; State Governments, with the exception of Idaho, in exactly the same position. Private industry? If it were commercially feasible to start a service and make money, it would have been done years ago. AFL wants to give it a go, after someone else puts up the money to build the ships - small, slow ships trying to compete with trucking and increasingly, intermodal services.
No need to stop meeting, just recognize the realities and when someone figures out where to get the money - it MAY happen.