We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » McCain introduces bill to repeal Jones Act
newsworthy

McCain introduces bill to repeal Jones Act

June 30, 2010
Mark B. Solomon
No Comments

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has introduced legislation to repeal the Jones Act, a 1920 law requiring that all goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried by U.S.-built ships and that the vessels be owned and operated by Americans.

In a bill introduced on Friday, McCain called the Jones Act "antiquated and protectionist" and said it favors labor unions over U.S. consumers. He cited several studies that showed that a repeal of the Jones Act could provide a boost to the U.S. economy of between $650 million and $1 billion by introducing lower-cost foreign competition and labor into what are now U.S. monopoly trades.

McCain said the burden of the Jones Act falls most heavily on residents of Alaska and Hawaii, states that rely heavily on goods shipped via Jones Act vessels from the mainland. The senator cited a comment made in 1997 by a Hawaiian government official that Hawaiian residents at the time paid $1 billion more a year in higher prices because of the cost of complying with the Jones Act.

The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO criticized the bill, saying in a statement that it would lead to the elimination of as many as half a million American jobs and threaten national security by depleting the pool of U.S. ships and skilled crews who could be deployed during wartime.

The TTD said "only U.S.-flag vessels crewed by U.S. citizen mariners comply with the U.S. government-imposed homeland security rules designed to protect the nation from maritime-related terrorist threats."

The American Association of Port Authorities had no comment on the McCain legislation or the Jones Act in general.

The Bush administration in 2005 granted a waiver of the Jones Act to allow foreign-owned and -crewed vessels to help with relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Though as many as 17 nations have offered maritime aid to the United States to help contain and clean up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration has yet to grant any Jones Act waivers, according to McCain.

A Department of Transportation official did not return a telephone call requesting comment. But Adm. Thad Allen, who is heading the U.S. government's cleanup efforts in the Gulf, said in comments posted online that 15 foreign-flagged vessels are currently involved in the effort, and that no Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required exemptions

"Should any waivers be needed, we are prepared to process them as quickly as possible to allow vital spill response activities being undertaken by foreign-flagged vessels to continue without delay," Adm. Allen said.

Transportation Maritime & Ocean Regulation/Government
  • Related Articles

    Trump's Jones Act waiver to aid Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands may not solve near-term problem

    Shuster introduces bill for three-month extension of transport funding law

    Congress passes shipping reform act in bid to clear port delays

Marksolomon
Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Recent Articles by Mark Solomon

Coming together for road safety: interview with Joshua Girard

Off the rails

Freight rate spikes shaking up the C-suite

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

  • Fred Smith is not worried about Amazon

  • RJW LOGISTICS GROUP EXPANDS RETAIL LOGISTICS OPERATION TO DALLAS

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Maersk deploys indoor drones for warehouse inventory counts

Now Playing on DCV-TV

5afe63a5 7125 4318 b851 1e5738df1c91

Patterson Fan Co. | HVLS V-Series Ceiling Fan | Staging Area Air Movement

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
The Patterson V-Series is a high-volume, low-speed industrial ceiling fan that is designed to circulate a lot of air at a very low speed. These fans, ranging in diameters of 8’ all the way to 24’, are perfect for large, open spaces such as staging and shipping areas. One 24’ fan can generate a cooling effect of 6 –...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing