I expect 2012 to be a year of even greater recognition by policymakers in Washington of the benefits of the Jones Act. An all out effort by the American maritime industry to tell its story in 2011 has paid off in a number of ways.
Congress and leaders in the executive branch have always recognized the important role of the Jones Act in economic security and national security. Economically, the American domestic maritime industry is responsible for nearly a half a million jobs and more than $100 billion annually in economic activity. Militarily, Jones Act helps build and sustain the national maritime infrastructure that is essential for our nation’s commercial sealift capacity. That’s why our Navy so strongly supports the Jones Act.
And lately, there has been a growing recognition that the Jones Act provides important homeland security benefits. A prestigious Washington, D.C. think tank, the Lexington Institute, recently explored the ways that terrorists, “Via the inland waterways … could reach America’s heartland and many of its largest and most important urban centers.” Daniel Goure, the study’s author, said, “The provisions in the Jones Act regarding vessel ownership and manning simplify efforts to ensure that rogue regimes and international terrorists cannot strike at this country via its ports and waterways. One could readily assert that were there no Jones Act, Congress would have to invent one.”
If you want to spend a fascinating 10 minutes, visit www.youtube.org and watch the video titled, “BOATLIFT, An Untold Story of 9/11 Resilience.” It’s the remarkable story of the American maritime industry’s response to the worst terrorist attack ever against our country.
The three securities — economic, national and homeland — are the reasons the Jones Act continues to be supported by our Congress and every American president of this generation.