U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Mexico’s general coordinator of ports and merchant marine, Guillermo Ruiz de Teresa, have been jointly selected to receive the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2015 “Port Person of the Year” award.
Marking its 103rd year as the recognized, authoritative and coordinated voice of the seaports industry in the Americas, AAPA selected Senator Vitter and General Coordinator Ruiz de Teresa based on their dedication to improving their respective country’s water resources, infrastructure and freight transportation policy.
Their work toward reforming their country’s water resources development legislation, including boosting federal funding to maintain and improve their nation’s ports and harbors, helps create jobs and propel economic competitiveness in the U.S. and Mexico.
“ Both Senator Vitter and General Coordinator Ruiz de Teresa have displayed extraordinary leadership toward ensuring the needs of the port and maritime industry in each of their respective countries are addressed at the federal level, ” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “ Both of these leaders appreciate the critical role that ports and waterways play in the global economy and each has worked hard in his respective role to encourage development of the infrastructure necessary to support modern, efficient seaports, including the land- and water-side connections with ports.”
As a member of Congress for over 15 years (combined House and Senate terms) and recently selected chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), Vitter has used his political expertise and influence to increase federal appropriations for America’s ports and waterways and positively affect much-needed water resources policy changes.