As part of the American Waterways Operators’ annual Barge-In, U.S. vessel owners, operators and mariners are fanning out all over Capitol Hill today visiting nearly 150 Congressional offices to talk about the industry’s top advocacy priorities and the industry’s important role as economic generators, safety leaders and environmental stewards. The group’s top advocacy priorities this year include: ensuring final passage of needed water resources development legislation; garnering support for a uniform national federal framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges; preservation of the Jones Act as the foundation of the vital and vibrant domestic maritime industry; and pressing for balanced, science-based solutions that maintain the essential flow of waterborne commerce while thwarting the spread of invasive species. To read the full release, please click here.