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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Gulf & Hawaii: Djou call for relief from Jones Act explodes across national media
By Selected News Articles @ 10:43 AM :: 12997 Views :: Maui County, Education K-12, Energy, Environment, National News, Ethics

WSJ: Djou to introduce legislation exempting Hawaii from Jones Act

by JOHN FUND

In his nationwide address last night on the Gulf crisis, President Obama declared: "We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes." But at least one congressman isn't convinced, complaining that Mr. Obama won't pursue promising solutions if it means bucking his union allies.

Hawaii GOP Rep. Charles Djou, who won his seat in a special election last month, says he's "disappointed" that Mr. Obama has failed to waive the Jones Act, an antiquated 1920 law mandating that goods shipped between U.S. ports be handled by U.S.-built and -owned ships manned by U.S. crews. Unions fiercely support the law as a means of preserving U.S. jobs. In this case, though, the law might be hindering the recovery of hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast jobs.

Mr. Obama could issue a full waiver of the Jones Act, but failed even to mention the law in his speech last night. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Bush administration didn't hesitate to waive the law completely in an emergency. Congressman Djou says a waiver is essential in spurring the Gulf Coast cleanup. The Houston Chronicle reports that several countries offered to send sophisticated equipment immediately after the spill but were turned down. The Dutch government offered ships fitted with oil-skimming booms three days after the leak began. Geert Visser, the consul general for the Netherlands in Houston, said the answer from the Obama administration was "Thanks, but no thanks."

Later, the administration relented, allowing U.S. ships to be outfitted with Dutch skimming booms that can remove 20,000 tons of oil and sludge a day. "At that rate, how much more oil could have been removed from the Gulf during the past month?" asks the Chronicle. The paper notes that some offers of help from other countries still haven't been accepted.

The Jones Act may also have played a role in delaying the construction of sand barriers to protect the fragile Louisiana coast. Mr. Visser, the Dutch consul, says American dredging companies, which lack the dike-building expertise of the Dutch, rebuffed Dutch offers of help, which might have meant running afoul of the Jones Act.

For the longer term, Mr. Djou is about to introduce a bill to exempt his home state of Hawaii from the law. Hawaii is hit hardest by the law because most goods arrive by sea. Despite the political power of unions locally, Mr. Djou is pressing forward. He told Malia Zimmerman of the Hawaii Reporter this week: "If it comes down to fighting for special interest or the people's interest, I will fight for the people's interest." Too bad President Obama won't see things the same way and waive the Jones Act in the current emergency

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Jones Act: Does Gulf oil spill cleanup need more foreign boats?

Christian Science Monitor - Patrik Jonsson - ‎20 hours ago‎

The Jones Act prevents foreign skimmers and tankers from helping with the Gulf oil spill cleanup. But federal officials have streamlined waivers to make it ...

Djou calls for Jones Act waiver to aid oil cleanup

BusinessWeek - ‎Jun 16, 2010‎

US Rep. Charles Djou is calling on President Barack Obama to waive a 90-year-old law so foreign ships can help respond to the huge oil spill in the Gulf of ...

Reader Comments

U.S. News & World Report (blog) - Brian Wilson - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

Is the Country of ship that matters most in this case. Adding American crew does not fix. Are you a real Master. Me have my doubts. You a cook's aid. ...

Obama's Unions Hindering BP (NYSE:BP) Cleanup Efforts

Commodity Surge (blog) - ‎3 hours ago‎

Outrage is growing over the Democrats and Obama who refuse to waive the Jones Act, because of it being an election year, in order to get highly ...

Jones Act Complicates Messy Situation for Obama

Human Events (blog) - Robert B. Bluey - ‎9 hours ago‎

A growing irritant for the Obama administration, the charge that it has not done enough to allow foreign vessels to help with the oil ...

Hawaii's Rep. Djou to Obama: Let foreign ships help on Gulf oil clean-up

Daily Caller - Paul Conner - ‎11 hours ago‎

Rep. Charles Djou, R-Hawaii, the former Honolulu city councilman who recently replaced Rep. Neil Abercrombie, attends his first meeting on the House Budget ...

Fox News' evening shows still pushing falsehoods about Gulf oil leak

Media Matters for America - ‎12 hours ago‎

Fox News' programming on the evening of June 16 was littered with falsehoods about the BP oil leak, including the false claim that the federal government ...

Obama, the Jones Act and Big Labor

Daily Caller - Andrew Langer - ‎12 hours ago‎

The aftermath of the BP oil rig disaster has been front-and-center in the last month. ...

Top Six Obama Mistruths From National Energy Address

Americans for Tax Reform - Brian M Johnson - ‎21 hours ago‎

In his Tuesday address to the nation, President Obama used the Gulf of Mexico tragedy to twist the facts, bend the truth, and attempt to capitalize on a ...

Obama's Union Politics Handcuff Him During Oil Spill

Americans for Tax Reform - Christopher Prandoni - ‎22 hours ago‎

President Obama has been under fire for the oil spill that occurred on his watch, some claims more legitimate than others. While people can debate endlessly ...

Obama Should Waive 'Jones Act' for Foreign Aid in BP Oil Spill Clean Up ...

Watchdog - ‎Jun 16, 2010‎

By Malia Zimmerman - Hawaii Congressman Charles Djou, R-Hawaii, responded to President Barack Obama's Tuesday's night address to the nation about the BP oil ...

President Obama's Refusal to Waive Jones Act Hampers BP Oil Spill Cleanup...

Philly2Philly.com - Erik Uliasz - ‎Jun 16, 2010‎

For a person who stresses international cooperation and deliberation in matters such as terrorism, ...

Jonesing for Power

Canada Free Press - Joy Tiz - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

Within about two weeks of the BP oil spill, a number of countries stepped up to offer assistance including the governments ...

CAGW Urges Obama to Waive Jones Act to Aid Spill Effort

Earthtimes - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

WASHINGTON - (Business Wire) The nation's premier taxpayer watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), today urged President Obama to take a ...

Fox & Friends ignores international aid in attacking Obama over oil spill response

Media Matters for America - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

Fox & Friends repeatedly falsely suggested that no international aid has been used in response to the Gulf oil spill because President Obama has not waived ...

A MORAL OBLIGATION, NOT A LEGAL OBLIGATION, REQUIRES THE USE OF US VESSELS IN ...

Maritime Executive Magazine (press release) - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

Recent news stories have been erroneously reporting that foreign skimming vessels are not able to work on the BP oil spill clean up because of the Jones ...

Obama Refuses to Waive Law to Allow Foreign Help With Oil Spill

Opposing Views - Hans Bader - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

Crucial offers to help clean up BP's oil spill “have come from Belgian, Dutch, and Norwegian firms that . . . possess some of the world's most ...

Adm. Allen: US Prepared To Process Jones Act Waivers Quickly

Capital.gr (press release) - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

The US commander overseeing the response to BP PLC's (BP, BP.LN) Gulf of Mexico oil spill said the federal government was prepared to quickly clear any ...

Allen Provides Guidance To Ensure Expedited Jones Act Waiver In Oil Spill ...

Eurasia Review - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

US National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen today announced the development of specific guidance to ensure accelerated processing of requests for ...

Sen. LeMieux to POTUS: Remove Bureaucracy and Send More Skimmers to Gulf Disaster

BigNews.biz (press release) - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

WASHINGTON - US Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) today spoke on FOX News and MSNBC voicing his concerns over the lack of skimmers coming to the Gulf to aid in ...

On GoM, BP And The Jones Act

istockAnalyst.com (press release) - Bruce Krasting - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

According to a NY Times story the President is about to move on BP (NYSE: BP). No details on what is to be forthcoming as yet. A White House spokesman told ...

BP Oil Spill: What is the Jones Act?

About - News & Issues (blog) - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

The Obama administration has come under fire for not waiving the "Jones Act," and thus preventing foreign ships from taking part in the BP oil spill cleanup ...

Florida Lawmakers Press President to Remove Bureaucratic Hurdles to Spill Cleanup

Holmes County Times Advertiser - ‎Jun 14, 2010‎

WASHINGTON – US Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Chumuckla) today asked President Obama to waive portions of the Jones Act so as ...

Look who's not cleaning up oil

WND.com - ‎Jun 13, 2010‎

Scrambling to avoid political damage from the biggest oil spill ever, President Obama seeks in ever more strident announcements to convince himself and the ...

Jones Act could be waived to allow foreign vessels to help with oil spill

Dredging News Online - ‎Jun 13, 2010‎

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) in the US says the American maritime industry "supports immediate action to address the unfolding environmental ...

BP Oil Spill: What is the Jones Act?

About - News & Issues (blog) - ‎Jun 15, 2010‎

The Obama administration has come under fire for not waiving the "Jones Act," and thus preventing foreign ships from taking part in the BP oil spill cleanup ...

The Gulf Cleanup : Obama Worse Than Useless

Jawa Report (blog) - Ragnar Danneskjold - ‎Jun 14, 2010‎

It would be bad enough if Captain Kickass was only doing NOTHING to save the Gulf Coast. In reality, the Obama Administration, bowing to union pressure, ...

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