HR 2390 Introduced - Chinese Crane Replacement

Earlier this week, Rep Rouzer (R,NC) introduced HR 2390, the Maritime Supply Chain Security Act. The bill would allow the use of grant funds under Port infrastructure development program (46 USC 54301) to be used to replace upgrade or replace Chinese port cranes. No new funding is provided in this legislation.

Definitions

This bill would amend §54301 and provides no new definitions.

Provisions

Section 2 of the bill would amend §54301(a)(3)(A)(ii)(III) to rewrite the sub-clause to include “projects to upgrade or replace port cranes or parts of port cranes (including hardware and software) that” were provided, installed, maintained, controlled or sponsored by the Chinese government.

Moving Forward

Rouzer is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I see nothing in the bill that would engender any significant opposition. In fact, keeping with the anti-Chinese sentiment of the current leadership, I would not be surprised to see this bill considered early in Committee or even possibly moved directly to the floor of the House under the suspension of the rules process.

Commentary

The cost of replacing Chinese made cranes in US ports would be very high and would be a long lead time proposition, probably relying on South Korean or Japanese technology. While replacing the software would seem to take fewer resources and would seem to remove the threat of Chinese lockouts or information theft (though that seems like a relatively minor issue to me), that process would be fraught with problems. If Chinese programmers have followed the lead of their western counterparts, trying to replace the software would likely brick large portions of the control equipment, making the cranes essentially industrial sculptures, testimony to the post-industrial decline of the United States.

I would like to see this bill include language calling for a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the projected cost and lead-times of replacing existing Chinese port cranes and the problems associated with replacing the control system software of such cranes. For example:

“Section 3 Report – The Comptroller General will, withing 90-days of the enactment of this bill, provide Congress with a report on:

“(1) the number of Chinese made, controlled, or maintained port cranes in US ports,

“(2) the cost of replacing Chinese made port cranes in US ports, and

“(3) the feasibility of replacing the control software in such cranes.