Government Affairs Brief

ILTA is continuing its efforts to save terminal operators from making costly capital investments. ILTA formed a working group to prepare comments supporting the USCG's delay when published in the Federal Register. Additionally, ILTA is joining other industry associations to seek legislative changes that will officially change the TWIC Reader dates in law. The legislative language is being advanced during the conference negotiations on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 (NDAA). The NDAA is likely to be passed in the lame-duck session after the November elections. ILTA will continue its advocacy efforts to save terminal operators from making unnecessary capital expenditures.

ILTA has offered to serve as a resource to OSHA as it considers revisions to the PSM standard, which has not been updated since 1992.   ILTA formed a working group to provide member insights and guidance about the OSHA PSM (and the EPA Risk Management Program, see also the article following). The working group met and discussed ILTA's members interests in the two safety programs. The consensus from the group was to offer ILTA insights and guidance to help shape any prospective OSHA-proposed rule that would impact ILTA members. ILTA continues to remain engaged in the OSHA PSM process and will look to work with the working group and other ILTA members.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues its mission of increasing cybersecurity for various modes of transportation. In 2022, TSA issued directives focused on different parts of the transportation industry. In May and July 2022, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued two Security Directives for Pipelines, generally referred to as SD02B and SD02C. The goal of these directives is to prescribe efforts that owners and operators of hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines or liquified natural gas (LNG) facilities need to implement to improve cybersecurity awareness, reporting, and preparedness.

In September, ILTA weighed in with the White House to express ILTA's members' concerns about a nationwide freight rail strike. As ILTA members know, a freight rail strike was looming in early September. Given the ILTA membership's reliance on freight rail to move customers' products and to ensure deliveries, the pending nationwide strike by rail workers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is continuing with its public listening sessions and receiving written statements from the public regarding cybersecurity regulations. CISA is hosting these sessions to gather public input on implementing regulations requiring covered entities to report covered cyber incidents and ransomware payments to CISA. The public listening sessions are being held in the following locations and at the following places https://www.cisa.gov/circia