Congress set to limit Jones Act waivers

Landrieu

   Legislation aimed at increasing transparency and help limiting Jones Act waivers has now been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
   Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La. and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., this week introduced the American Mariners Job Protection Act, which Landrieu said would “prevent maritime work from going to foreign companies.”
   The Senate bill is a companion measure to H.R. 3202, introduced last month in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan group of legislators led by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. and Rep. Jeff Landry R-La.
   Landrieu said “this summer, President Obama repeatedly waived the Jones Act during the Strategic Petroleum Reserve drawdown, utilizing foreign vessels to transport oil within the United States despite the fact that U.S. vessels were ready and able to do the work.” The waivers are granted by the Department of Homeland Security through Customs and Border Protection.
   Domestic shipping companies accused oil companies of customizing their withdrawals of oil from the SPR in lot sizes that were unsuitable for U.S. vessels.
   “Instead of utilizing our highly experienced and capable domestic seafarers, waiving the Jones Act literally hands over work to foreign shipping companies, taking economic opportunities away from our country. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing to create jobs and improve the economy in Louisiana and across the country,” Landrieu added.  
   The bill would strength Maritime Administration’s involvement in the waiver process by requiring it to identify actions that could be taken to enable qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements. That information would be would be given to the Departments of Transportation Homeland Security, published on the internet and given to Congressional committees. The waivers would include an explanation of why they are necessary and why actions to enable U.S. flag tonnage to move meet defense requirements are not feasible.
   “This legislation will ensure that the Jones Act is applied the way it was designed – to use American vessels and mariners for domestic maritime transport,” said Landrieu.