Salvage
ASA Set for Strong Year
By John A. Witte, Jr. President, American Salvage Association
As the American Salvage Association's (ASA) newly elected President (in Octo-
ber 2007), I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Association, its member-
John A. Witte, Jr.
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ship and the industry as a whole over the next two years of my Presidency. Ever since 1990 and the casualty involving the Exxon Valdez which resulted in increased regulatory interest and participation in all things marine, the role of the marine salvor in any casualty response has changed. Since its creation, ASA's primary goal has been to assist the regulatory community as we continue to revise and update the legislation and regulation, which governs our industry now and in the future. It is a very exciting time for the ASA and the salvage industry, and we have some very important goals to achieve over the next two years and beyond. Among them is to remain in the leadership position on the push toward promulgation of Federal Marine Firefighting and Salvage Regulations as required by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90). These critically important regulations will undoubtedly benefit the marine industry as a whole as well as our nation's and our global neighbor's ability to respond to any marine related incident, whether a result of Mother Nature or man made. While we have seen progress on the promulgation of these regulations, there have been far too many delays. Some of those delays are understandable. After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, with the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and the associated change in the Coast Guard's focus, it was inevitable that the passage of the salvage regulations would be delayed. The fact remains that the salvage regulations are an important regulatory initiative within the Coast Guard, but their promulgation is not one of top priority. But many additional strides have been made as a result of the efforts of the ASA and its membership that are worth noting.
14 � MarineNews � December, 2007