National Taxpayers Union and 17 other free-market organizations on Thursday sent a letter to President Donald Trump encouraging him to issue a new waiver of the Jones Act to ease prices and increase the supply of oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and other resources Americans rely on. The Jones Act is an antiquated shipping law that raises costs and creates bottlenecks for maritime commerce.
Extending and expanding the most recent Jones Act waiver—which expires November 15—would help ease price pressures and supply disruptions by allowing more vessels to transport essential commodities to Americans.
“Jones Act waivers are a major, historic win for Americans. Previous waivers are currently helping prices and we should extend and expand the waiver so Americans around the country enjoy abundant goods and fuel supply beyond November 15,” NTU Free Trade Initiative Director Bryan Riley said.
Shippers leveraged flexibility brought by Jones Act waivers issued earlier this year to transport millions of barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel to U.S. markets, and have now delivered more petroleum products to the West Coast than in any year on record.
“Acting now would allow Americans to plan ahead to unleash additional supplies of diesel fuel, heating oil, and other goods. It is particularly imperative that the waiver remain in place during the coming cold weather months,” according to the letter.
The letter urges the President to make the next waiver even stronger by extending it for longer time periods and by expanding the categories of goods that may be transported.
The most recent extension added a new regulation requiring shippers to receive prior approval for shipments. This requirement significantly weakens efforts to bolster domestic shipping. Just 19 voyages have been authorized under this stricter waiver, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration.
National Taxpayers Union is the only free-market organization for taxpayers that unites effective advocacy with useful research about how to limit taxes, spending, and regulation at every level and branch of government—state, federal, administrative, and judicial.