The authority consists of 12 unsalaried commissioners, 6 appointed by the governor of each state. Since the commissioners constitute agents of the state, their instructions take the form of legislative mandates. The work of the commissioners, in addition to administration, includes development, construction, operation, and protection of the Port District. The authority finances its activities from income such as tolls and charges and by selling revenue bonds in the public market.
The authority has been so successful that it has set a pattern in administration. It has given to the inhabitants of the Port District a modern and efficient network of bridges, tunnels, and terminal facilities without adding to the burden of the New York or New Jersey taxpayers. Among its projects have been the refinancing of the Holland Tunnel and the construction of the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, marine terminals in Newark and Elizabeth, and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson RR, known as PATH. The agency also administers numerous facilities, including the New York City airports and Newark International Airport, and built the former World Trade Center complex.
Although business in the New York and New Jersey harbors suffered during the 1970s and 80s from the overall decrease in U.S. exports and the loss of customers to competitors in the South and in Canada, by 1985 the volume of exports in containerized cargo began to rise steadily as a result of the authority's commitment to investing in new technology and its shift to a more agressive business and marketing policy that included improved relationships with the government and with shipping and manufacturing companies.
See J. W. Doig, Empire on the Hudson (2001).
Licensed from Columbia University Press
In Canada and the United States a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to create and support economic development within that area.
Port authorities are usually governed by boards or commissions, which are commonly appointed by governmental chief executives, often from different jurisdictions. For example, in Canada the federal Minister of Transport selects one board member, the local chief executive one, and the rest of the board are at the recommendation of port users to the federal Minister. In Canada all port authorities have a federal or Crown charter called Letters Patent.
Most port authorities are financially self-supporting. In addition to owning land, setting fees, and sometimes levying taxes, port districts can also operate shipping terminals, airports, railroads, and irrigation facilities.
In Mexico the federal government created sixteen port administrations in 1994-1995 called Administración Portuaria Integral (API) in Spanish, as result of the Ley de Puertos of 1993. These are organized as variable capital corporations (Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable or S.A. de C.V.), with the intent of creating more private investment in a state owned sector.
Numerous Caribbean nations also have port authorities, including those of Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Central and South America also have port agencies such as autoridad and consorcio (authority and consortium).
Port Authorities and Districts
The distinction between inland and being marine is occasionally open to discussion. No distinction is made here between river and Great Lakes ports.Canada
Port Authorities
With date of Letters Patent.
Atlantic
Great Lakes
|
Pacific
St. Lawrence Seaway
|
Other agencies
United States
Charter date in parenthesis.
Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico
| Inland
Pacific
|
Mexico
Listed from northwest to southeast. API is Administración Portuaria Integral.
Pacific
|
Gulf of Mexico
|
Central America
- Autoridad Marítima de Panamá
- Comisión Portuaria Nacional, Guatemala
- Dirección General de Puertos Empresa Nacional Portuaria, Honduras
- JAPDEVA - Atlantic Port Authority, Costa Rica
Middle East
Asia Pacific
References
See also
- American Association of Port Authorities
- List of North American ports
- Municipal Authority (Pennsylvania)
External links
- Washington Ports - What is a port district?
- Port of Allyn - Port district FAQ
- International Association of Ports and Harbors
- American Association of Port Authorities
- Largest ports in the U.S. from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Monday April 21, 2008 at 07:55:02 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
In Canada and the United States a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to create and support economic development within that area.
Port authorities are usually governed by boards or commissions, which are commonly appointed by governmental chief executives, often from different jurisdictions. For example, in Canada the federal Minister of Transport selects one board member, the local chief executive one, and the rest of the board are at the recommendation of port users to the federal Minister. In Canada all port authorities have a federal or Crown charter called Letters Patent.
Most port authorities are financially self-supporting. In addition to owning land, setting fees, and sometimes levying taxes, port districts can also operate shipping terminals, airports, railroads, and irrigation facilities.
In Mexico the federal government created sixteen port administrations in 1994-1995 called Administración Portuaria Integral (API) in Spanish, as result of the Ley de Puertos of 1993. These are organized as variable capital corporations (Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable or S.A. de C.V.), with the intent of creating more private investment in a state owned sector.
Numerous Caribbean nations also have port authorities, including those of Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Central and South America also have port agencies such as autoridad and consorcio (authority and consortium).
Port Authorities and Districts
The distinction between inland and being marine is occasionally open to discussion. No distinction is made here between river and Great Lakes ports.Canada
Port Authorities
With date of Letters Patent.
Atlantic
Great Lakes
|
Pacific
St. Lawrence Seaway
|
Other agencies
United States
Charter date in parenthesis.
Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico
| Inland
Pacific
|
Mexico
Listed from northwest to southeast. API is Administración Portuaria Integral.
Pacific
|
Gulf of Mexico
|
Central America
- Autoridad Marítima de Panamá
- Comisión Portuaria Nacional, Guatemala
- Dirección General de Puertos Empresa Nacional Portuaria, Honduras
- JAPDEVA - Atlantic Port Authority, Costa Rica
Middle East
Asia Pacific
References
See also
- American Association of Port Authorities
- List of North American ports
- Municipal Authority (Pennsylvania)
External links
- Washington Ports - What is a port district?
- Port of Allyn - Port district FAQ
- International Association of Ports and Harbors
- American Association of Port Authorities
- Largest ports in the U.S. from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Monday April 21, 2008 at 07:55:02 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.