U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced the appointment of 25 new members to the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC), including Columbiana Co. Port Authority's Executive Director Penny Traina.

The new members will advise Secretary Buttigieg, through the Maritime Administration Administrator, on ways to identify and address effective use of rivers and waterways for transporting supplies, especially during the supply chain shortages gripping the nation.

Traina said she is "humbled and honored" to have been selected for the committee, adding that "It is not only great Columbiana County but for the region as well." 

In her new advisory role, Traina will be part of a new 25-member team that will report and advise the U.S. Transportation Secretary.

The MTSNAC’s counsel role will be an economic priority of helping to reduce inflation and costs for families.

“Our maritime industry plays a central role in our supply chains and our economic strength as a nation,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These new members will help us deliver the maritime investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, fighting inflation and reducing delays for the American people.” 
 
The MTSNAC is made up of leaders from commercial transportation firms, trade associations, state and local public entities, labor organizations, academic, and environmental groups that advise the Secretary on policies to ensure that the U.S. marine transportation system can respond to continual increases in trade.  
  
The new members are: 

  1. Penny Traina, Columbiana County Port Authority
  2. Russell Adise, U.S. Department of Commerce 
  3. Aimee Andres Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals, Inc. 
  4. Cheryl Ball, Missouri Department of Transportation 
  5. Lauren Beagen, Roger Williams University 
  6. Lisa Burley, U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
  7. David Cicalese, International Longshoremen's Association 
  8. Brian Clark, North Carolina Ports Authority 
  9. Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach 
  10. James Dillman, Gateway Terminal 
  11. Berit Eriksson, Sailors' Union of the Pacific 
  12. Roger Guenther, Port Houston 
  13. Craig Johnson, Flagship Management, LLC 
  14. Brian Jones, Nucor Corporation 
  15. David Libatique, Port of Los Angeles 
  16. Mike Moltzen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
  17. Pat Mutschler, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
  18. Stephen Spoljaric, Bechtel 
  19. Erik Stromberg Lamar University, Center for Port Management 
  20. Shelly Sugarman, U.S. Coast Guard 
  21. Jack Sullivan, Matson Navigation, Inc. 
  22. Augustine Tellez, Seafarers International Union of North America 
  23. Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Port of Milwaukee  
  24. Tom Wetherald, Global Dynamics – NASSCO 
  25. Robert Wellner, Liberty Global Logistics, LLC 

Robert Wellner and David Libatique will serve as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively.

Ohio’s inland river system provides access to the Gulf of Mexico via both the Mississippi River and the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, all from the Ohio River.

Items that are currently transported via the Ohio River include steel, steel coils, animal feed, soybeans, minerals, coal, molasses and additional items from individual businesses.