[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 35 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

       By Ms. COLLINS:
  S. 741. A bill to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act to establish a grant program to ensure waterfront access 
for commercial fishermen, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, all along our Nation's coasts there are 
harbors that were once full of the hustle and bustle associated with 
the fishing industry. Unfortunately, there has been an erosion of the 
vital infrastructure, known as our working waterfronts, that is so 
critical to our commercial fishing industries. To better preserve these 
waterfront areas, I have drafted legislation that will help to protect 
commercial access to our waterfronts and to support the fishing 
industry's role in our maritime heritage.
  When constituents have called asking me to help them in their efforts 
to stop the loss of their fishing businesses and the communities built 
around this industry, I realized more needed to be done to preserve and 
increase waterfront access for the commercial fishing industry. 
Currently, there is no Federal program to promote and protect the 
working waterfronts other than identifying some grant programs that 
might apply. There is an immediate need to protect our working 
waterfronts since we are losing more of them every week, and quite 
simply, once lost, these vital economic and community hubs of 
commercial fishing activity cannot be replaced.
  I rise today to re-introduce a bill I originally proposed in the 
109th Congress--the Working Waterfront Preservation Act. This 
legislation would create a program to support our Nation's commercial 
fishing families and the coastal communities that are at risk of losing 
their fishing businesses.
  I can illustrate the need for such a program by describing the loss 
of commercial waterfront access occurring in Maine. Only 25 of Maine's 
3,500 miles of coastline are devoted to commercial access. We are 
continually seeing portions of Maine's working waterfront being sold 
off to the highest bidder--with large vacation homes and condominiums 
rising in places that our fishing industry used to call home.

  The reasons for the loss of Maine's working waterfront are complex. 
In some cases, burdensome fishing regulations have led to a decrease in 
landings, hindering the profitability of shore-side infrastructure, 
like the Portland Fish Exchange. In other cases, soaring land values 
and rising taxes have made the current use of commercial land 
unprofitable. Property is being sold and quickly converted into private 
spaces and second homes that are no longer the center of economic 
activity.
  Maine's lack of commercial waterfront prompted the formation of a 
``Working Waterfront Coalition.'' This coalition is comprised of an 
impressive number of industry associations, non- profit groups, and 
state agencies, who came together to preserve Maine's working 
waterfront. The coalition identified eighteen projects that would 
increase Maine's available working waterfront. These eighteen sites 
would create or preserve more than 875 jobs.
  I'm pleased to note that the Working Waterfront Coalition has been 
successful in contributing to the creation of two programs in Maine. 
The first is a State tax incentive for property owners to keep their 
land in its current working waterfront condition. The second is a pilot 
program for grant funding to secure and preserve working waterfront 
areas. I am proud that the State of Maine has taken positive action to 
save its waterfront infrastructure and is a model for other States in 
the country facing this problem.
  However, we must press on with this priority. The loss of commercial 
waterfront access affects the fishing industry throughout all coastal 
States. Pick up a newspaper in one of our coastal States, and you will 
read about this struggle. Fishermen in Galilee, RI are being pushed 
away from the waterfronts as their profitability shrinks and land 
values soar. The Los Angeles Times ran a story on the disappearance of 
working waterfronts in Florida. That State has also since enacted a law 
to protect their working waterfronts. Washington State struggles to 
balance working waterfronts with increased development pressure. 
Another region of the country that this bill would benefit is the Gulf 
Coast. This legislation would assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina 
in rebuilding their shore-side infrastructure destroyed in the storm.

  And modest federal investment could do so much to save these areas. 
Preservation of the working waterfront is essential to protect a way of 
life that is unique to our coastal States and is vital to economic 
development along the coast. This bill targets this problem, as no 
Federal program exists to assist States like Maine, Florida, 
Washington, and Louisiana.
  The Working Waterfront Preservation Act would assist by providing 
Federal grant funding to municipal and State governments, non-profit 
organizations, and fishermen's cooperatives for the purchase of 
property or easements or for the maintenance of working waterfront 
facilities. The bill contains a $50 million authorization for grants 
that would require a 25 percent local match. Applications for grants 
would be considered by both the Department of Commerce and state 
fisheries agencies, which have the local expertise to understand the 
needs of each coastal State. Grant recipients would agree not to 
convert coastal properties to noncommercial uses, as a condition of 
receiving federal assistance.
  This legislation also has a tax component included. When properties 
or easements are purchased, sellers would only be taxed on half of the 
gain they receive from this sale. Taxing only half of the gain on 
conservation sales is a proposal that has been advanced by the 
President in all of his budget proposals. This is a vital aspect of my 
bill because it would diminish the pressure to quickly sell waterfront 
property that would then, most likely, be converted to noncommercial 
uses, and would increase the incentives for sellers to take part in 
this grant program. This is especially important given that the 
application process for federal grants does not keep pace with the 
coastal real estate market.
  This legislation is crucial for our Nation's commercial fisheries, 
which are coming under increasing pressures from many fronts. This new 
grant program would preserve important commercial infrastructure and 
promote economic development along our coast. I am committed to 
creating a Federal mechanism to preserve working waterfronts and will 
pursue this legislation during the 110th Congress.
                                 ______