John B. Breaux: “as many of my colleagues might know, my State of Louisiana depends heavily on maritime trade and transportation. After…”

“as many of my colleagues might know, my State of Louisiana depends heavily on maritime trade and transportation. After all, Louisiana is darn near close to being underwater, so I always have had an affinity for things that float. Louisiana is fortunate to have the Mississippi River, along which barges haul grain, wheat and corn from the heartland of America, and coal from Wyoming. Our fortune extends to the fisheries resources of the Gulf of Mexico and our oil and gas resources in the outer continental shelf. We have invested in maritime-related oil and gas technologies to make that exploration as safe as possible. The Port of New Orleans, Lake Charles, and South Louisiana--as well as the other Louisiana ports--are major seaports handling containerized bulk and breakbulk cargoes, as well as passengers. The shipbuilding and repair industries employ thousands, as does the marine construction and dredging industry. My constituents live close to waterways and the Gulf of Mexico, and in many cases earn their living from our marine transportation system and its associated industries. So, as the Chairman of the Surface Transportation and Merchant Subcommittee--and as a resident of a State that relies so much on the smooth operation of its waterways and ports--maritime security is one of my primary concerns. The security of our commercial sea and river ports has rarely been the focus of our national security plans.”