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October 6, 1999 8:01 AM, EDT

NEW YORK — Faced with the possibility of new taxes, ports are starting to exercise their political muscle.

Their personal trainer is the American Association of Port Authorities, which highlighted port problems at its 88th annual meeting here Sept. 26 to 30.

The more than 1,000 port directors and others in attendance heard a government sales pitch for a $1 billion tax to pay for dredging projects, learned the impact ocean shipping deregulation is having on the Federal Maritime Commission and learned how to improve security and their public image.

“Many of the things that people use in everyday life are imported through ports. We do our job so well that people forget about us. Maybe we should screw up once in awhile, ” said Tom Kornegay, executive director of the Houston Port Authority, whose term as AAPA chairman expired last week.

For the full story, see the Oct. 4 print edition of Transport Topics. .