Potential Policies and Incentives to Encourage Movement of Containerized Freight on Texas Inland Waterways (0-5937-1)

This report is designed to answer three basic questions: 1. Why is the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) interested in moving more cargo by water? 2. What are the potential benefits of moving more cargo by water? 3. What specific steps can TxDOT or the State of Texas take to encourage more waterborne freight movements? In this report, the authors: - describe the need for increased utilization of marine freight options, - look at the challenges involved, and - describe the potential benefits of increasing the utilization of marine freight options. The authors provide a summary of relevant programs in Europe and the activities of other gulf states. They analyze the capacity and efficiency of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, as this waterway will most likely be the conduit for increased coastwise shipments. They then provide several examples of activities taken by Texas ports to encourage more domestic waterborne freight shipments, along with several examples of recent start-up services. The report recommends several steps TxDOT could pursue in the short term to encourage more waterborne shipments along the coast. Finally, the report includes a chapter of Frequently Asked Questions regarding "Short Sea Shipping" or "Marine Highways" for readers who do not regularly deal with marine transportation issues. Several appendices provide detailed background material on federal issues, l egislation, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and the role of waterborne freight in Texas.