"Waiving the Jones Act would do nothing to reduce gasoline prices. In fact, the primary driver of gasoline prices is the cost of crude oil, not domestic shipping costs, leaders from American Maritime Officers, a maritime labour union, said in a letter to President Trump earlier this month."
"A Jones Act waiver would instead create opportunities for foreign-flag operators that avoid paying US taxes, rely heavily on low-wage labor, and operate under regulatory regimes that circumvent international labor and vessel safety standards."
"This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to US ports for sixty days, and the Administration remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Al Jazeera in a statement."
The Trump administration issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, a century-old maritime law requiring goods shipped between US ports to use US-built, US-flagged, and mostly US-owned vessels. The waiver permits foreign-flagged ships to transport cargo to US ports, intended to reduce fuel costs amid geopolitical tensions. However, maritime labor unions and industry leaders dispute the waiver's effectiveness, arguing that crude oil costs, not domestic shipping expenses, primarily drive gasoline prices. Critics warn the waiver enables foreign operators to avoid US taxes, employ low-wage workers, and operate under weaker safety standards. The administration maintains the temporary measure will facilitate vital resource flows including oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to US ports.
#jones-act-waiver #maritime-shipping-policy #fuel-costs-and-energy-prices #labor-and-safety-standards #us-iran-tensions
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]