Congressman Garamendi Makes Case for Revitalization of American Shipbuilding Industry and American Jobs at Bay Planning Coalition Meeting in Oakland

OAKLAND, CA - Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, spoke at the Bay Planning Coalition’s 2015 Decision Makers Conference.

Garamendi's speech focused on America's pivotal opportunity to create thousands of American jobs by revitalizing America's shipbuilding industry.

"We're not building big ships in the United States except for the U.S. Navy. These are strategic national assets," Congressman Garamendi said.

"What if we recognized that the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG), when and where deemed appropriate, provides us with a unique opportunity to rebuild the American shipbuilding industry and strengthen our Merchant Marine," Garamendi said. "When we export LNG, we need to make sure that the export of this natural asset is being conducted by American sailors on American ships. In doing so, we will revitalize America's shipbuilding industry in a big way."

"We have an opportunity to make sure that a very significant part of the American economy has an opportunity to blossom and grow - not just the shipyards - but the entire supply chain: electronics, engines, and more," he added. "Can it be done? Well, it turns out that a lot of shipyards are represented by my Republican friends."

In his remarks, Garamendi also argued that we need to ensure that harbor maintenance funds are not siphoned off to projects unrelated to improving America's harbors. California is disproportionately harmed by this practice.

"Harbor maintenance fund money should be used for what is one of the principal economic opportunities this nation possesses: our ports," he said.

Garamendi also argued that we need to:

• Preserve the Jones Act;
• Renew the Surface Transportation Act and ideally model it out of ideas of the President's GROW America Act, including its call for a robust and comprehensive freight management plan; and
• Do more to preserve the Merchant Marine.

"We're going to build in America and Make It In America one ship, two ships, one hundred ships at a time," Garamendi concluded. "What I need from all of you is your interest and support in building the American shipbuilding industry. If any of you would like to join me in this effort, let me know."