U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently introduced the Ships to Be Recycled in the States (STORIS) Act, legislation to reform the domestic marine recycling industry.
Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA) will introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives shortly. The legislation aims to improve the domestic ship recycling industry and promote transparency by requiring reports from Maritime Administration (MARAD) and an audit by the Government Accountability Office. Current law requires all excess government vessels to be sold to domestic marine recyclers to be dismantled. A portion of the funding from the sales goes toward the Vessel Operations Revolving Fund, federal and state maritime academies, and the maritime heritage grant program.
The STORIS Act would make sure that the required funding actually goes to federal and state maritime academies and to heritage grants funding at the Department of Interior. It would also require MARAD to issue an annual report to Congress on how its funds are spent and publicize its ship recycling agreements. Additionally, the STORIS Act creates jobs by ensuring that all vessels can be dismantled in the United States in compliance with U.S. environmental and safety laws, and are not exported where those environmental and safety rules do not apply. It is named in recognition of the former Coast Guard Cutter Storis, which was dismantled in Mexico in 2013 in violation of the current law.