Containers belonging to American shipping company Crowley are seen at the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico after the U.S. commonwealth was hit by Hurricane Maria, September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday it is considering a request by members of Congress to waive federal restrictions on shipping to Puerto Rico, but has not received any formal requests from shippers or other branches of the federal government to waive the law.
“We are considering the underlying issues and are evaluating whether a waiver should be issued,” said a senior Homeland Security official, who spoke to reporters on the grounds of anonymity.
The Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried by American owned-and-operated ships.
Several U.S. lawmakers, including Representative Nydia Velazquez, on Monday asked DHS to waive the Jones Act restrictions for a year to help relief efforts in Puerto Rico where people are suffering from water and food shortages in the wake of Hurricane Maria. But a request from a member of Congress is not the usual pathway by which the department gets waiver requests, the DHS official said.
Puerto Rico has long railed against the Jones Act, saying it raises the cost of imported basic commodities, such as food, clothing and fuel.
But the official said that the Defense Department and FEMA have not indicated there is a lack of ships to get food and goods to the island.
The official did not deny that the law can add costs to goods delivered to the island, an argument made by longtime opponent of the Jones Act, Republican Senator John McCain. But the DHS official said Jones Act exemptions are based solely on the interest of national defense.
“The real challenges happen to be on the island itself,” the official said, adding that there were plenty of U.S.-flagged barges and tugs available.
DHS has the ability to initiate a waiver to the shipping law, but the official said it is constrained by the national defense parameter.
“Right now, we do not have the authority to issue a waiver simply to make goods cost less,” he said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner, editing by G Crosse)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,068 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is serious about trying to acquire Greenland, both to expand America's sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere and as a way to cement his legacy, according to three sources familiar with his thinking.
A Norwegian shipping company on Friday rejected an accusation from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, that it refused to rescue sailors from a sinking Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel struck multiple targets in Yemen it said were controlled by Houthis, the last of the Iran-backed groups still fully engaged in the regional war that began 14 months ago.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,068 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
