Saturday, November 23, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, January 23, 2018
‘Let’s not be greedy’
By Joe Kent @ 2:20 PM :: 4607 Views :: Jones Act

‘Let’s not be greedy’

by Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute, Jan 23, 2018

Watch out for your wallet!

In a classic case of imposing on the many to benefit a few, Jones Act supporters in Congress are angling to require petroleum and liquid natural gas produced in the United States be shipped on only so-called Jones Act ships.

At the Jan. 17, 2018 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Rep. John Garamendi said a proposal would be introduced to require a portion of America’s exported crude oil to be shipped on Jones Act-compliant vessels — meaning ships built in U.S. shipyards and owned and and operated by Americans.

“If we were to require, as we once did with the North Slope of Alaska, that all of that oil be on American built ships — but not let’s not be greedy; let’s just say 5 percent — we could substantially increase the number of ships built in America by a significant number,” Garamendi baldly and unashamedly stated.

The committee — consisting of Democrats and Republicans, all of whom support the Jones Act — also explored requiring liquid natural gas (LNG) to be carried on Jones Act ships, despite the fact that currently no Jones Act-eligible tankers exist capable of carrying LNG.

Garamendi, a Democrat from California, estimated that in 10 years, it would take 140 ships to export LNG from the United States to foreign ports.

“If just 5 percent of that were on American-built ships, we’re talking some seven ships,” he said.

Garamendi said he expected the proposal would be supported by America’s shipbuilders and mariners, but probably not by the petroleum industry.

“But 5 percent, 10 percent, they could do it; they could live with that,” he said confidently.

Throughout the hearing, the committee mourned the decline of the U.S. maritime industry. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, said, “Unfortunately, over the past few decades, the U.S. maritime industry has suffered significant losses, as companies, ships and jobs have moved overseas.”

Currently, the Jones Act cargo ship fleet comprises just 99 ships, down from 193 ships in 2000.

“This leaves us at the lowest number in the deep sea fleet in recent history,” Hunter said.

What the committee didn’t discuss is how the Jones Act itself has contributed to the sharp decline in U.S. shipping. The protectionist law has made U.S. shipping companies less competitive, resulting in less work for both the companies and their shipbuilder and mariner unions. Protecting special interests in the U.S. from foreign competition has come at the expense not only of the economy as a whole, but of those special interests as well, leaving them desperately trying to come up with legislative solutions to create U.S. shipping demand.

Instead of adding more rules onto the Jones Act, U.S. policymakers should, at the very least, allow American companies to ship products on foreign-built ships. This snipping of red-tape would ultimately help everyone in America’s economy, by lowering consumer costs, increasing trade and creating more entrepreneurial opportunities.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii