Rep. Garamendi introduces bill to strengthen U.S. Merchant Marine

The bipartisan bill would require up to 30 percent of exports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil to travel on U.S.-flag vessels.    U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D.-Calif., ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, has introduced a bill he said would strengthen the U.S. Merchant Marine.
   H.R. 1240, the “Energizing American Maritime Act,” would require up to 30 percent of exports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil to travel on U.S.-flag vessels, his office said.
   It is co-sponsored by Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn.; and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
   “The state of the American maritime industry is in crisis-level decline,” Garamendi said. “After World War II, our oceangoing fleet of U.S.-flagged ships numbered 1,200. Today, it’s fewer than 80. This isn’t just an economic concern – it’s also a national security risk. We can’t rely on foreign-flagged vessels to provide the necessary movement of strategic materials in a time of war. Requiring even a minority of strategic energy asset exports to be carried on U.S.-flagged ships will compel us to rebuild the technical skill to man these vessels – and with that comes good, high-paying maritime jobs.
   “We’re the most powerful nation in the world, but 99 percent of our trade travels on foreign-flagged ships,” Garamendi added. “To develop the kinds of jobs that will keep the American economic engine moving, we need to right this ship and grow America’s maritime sector.”
   Garamendi’s office said the legislation has strong support from the domestic maritime industry, with officials from the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, the Navy League, the Seafarers International Union, Masters Mates and Pilots, and the Transportation Institute endorsing the legislation.