b'NEWSWIREPVA Weighs in on Alaska Tampering LegislationP VA continues to advocate for theCoalition Against Illegal Tampering.tertotheAlaskaSenateCommittee interests of its members and thePVAtoldtheAlaskaSenateCom- on Community and Regional Affairs, passenger vessel industry by en- mittee on Community and Regionalurginglawmakerstorefinethebills gaging on legislative issues around theAffairs that the bills broad languagescopetoexcludecommercialmarine country. In March, PVA weighed in oncould unintentionally impact modernengines. This effort aligns with PVAs Alaska Senate Bill, SB 111, the Digitalmarine engine manufacturers, posingcommitmenttoensuringthesafety Right to Repair Act, at the request ofrisks to vessel security and emissionsand reliability of passenger vessels op-some PVA members and as part of thecontrol systems. PVA submitted a let- erating in Alaska and beyond.NEWSWIREFederal Legislation to Extend DERA GrantsP VAismonitoringfederalef- assessitsimplicationsforpassengering funding opportunities for cleaner fortstoextendDieselEmis- vesseloperators,particularlyregard- marine engines.sions Reduction Act (DERA) grantsaimedatreducingdiesel emissions. On March 14, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Doris Matsui of California introduced the HR2140,toreauthorizetheDiesel EmissionsReductionAct(DERA), whichwouldextendtheprogram through2029with$100millionin annualfunding.DERAprovides grantsandrebatestoreplaceorret-rofit older diesel engines with cleaner technology, benefiting air quality and public health while supporting Amer-icanmanufacturing.Thegrantsare not limited to marine diesel engines, somaritimeinterestsmustcompete withtrucks,buses,railroads,and otherdieselengineusers.PVAwill continue to track this legislation and 41 APRIL 2025'