James Oberstar: “Mr. Chairman, many writers and historians have described the United States as an 'Island Nation'. The oceans that have…”

“Mr. Chairman, many writers and historians have described the United States as an 'Island Nation'. The oceans that have protected us from foreign invasion are also the highways over which most of this country's imports and exports must travel to market. While most people recognize that the coastal cities in our country grew up around ports, today, every congressional district in the United States is touched by this linkage to the world market--whether it be iron ranges in my district, or wheat fields in Kansas. That's why we must all be concerned about how international shipping is regulated. The bill now before us would take major steps in shifting the regulation of international shipping from the Government to the marketplace. In general, I support this approach. The market can do a much better job than the Government in promoting efficiencies and low prices for consumers. That was proved with the successful deregulation of the domestic airlines, trucking, bus, and railroad industries. I also support most of the provisions of H.R. 2149, including the provisions which eliminate the Federal Maritime Commission; prohibit ocean carrier conferences from restricting the rights of individual carriers to make contracts with shippers; and eliminate the requirement that tariffs must be filed with a governmental agency. However, I believe that the bill goes too far in one important respect.…”