Calif. Congressional delegations blasts FMC

The 31-member Congressional delegation for California has lambasted the Federal Maritime Commission for what the legislators perceive as delays imposed by the agency on the Southern California ports’ truck re-regulation program.

   Addressed to the three sitting FMC commissioners, the Jan. 7 letter slams the panel most directly for the agency’s filing of a lawsuit in federal district court late last year in an effort to block portions of the ports’ truck plan. The FMC claims the truck program, portions of which took affect Oct. 1, will either increase trucking rates or diminish service currently provided to the ports.

   The truck program seeks to replace more than 19,000 drayage vehicles servicing the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with 2007 or newer model year trucks.

   The letter said that while the delegation members “respect the FMC’s statutory authority to protect the shipping public from unreasonable increases in transportation costs or reductions in service, we agree with Commissioner (Joseph) Brennan’s dissenting statement, releases on Oct. 30, 2008, which called the FMC action a ‘colossal mistake.’ “

   The district court judge is not expected to rule on the FMC case until February.

Source: American Shipper