One of the most detrimental changes in regulations would be the weakening, or repeal, of the Jones Act. With political opportunists looking to use the Hurricane Maria crisis to undermine the Act in Puerto Rico, and the news media reporting misinformation and/or outright lies, this law is under assault. This is creating uncertainty throughout the US maritime industry, and it will be incumbent on all of us to tell the real story of the Act’s importance.
Conveying that message will be a significant challenge, because a great number of people, many of whom had never heard of the Jones Act before Hurricane Maria, have concluded that the law is hindering the relief effort. They think this way because the media has repeated the anti-Jones Act sentiment so many times without challenging their sources on the accuracy of their statements, that people have formed impressions that are very difficult to change.
But facts are important. The Jones Act benefits all Americans, including those living in Puerto Rico. The military relies on US-flag ships and crews and the availability of a shipyard industrial base to support national defense needs. And the Act is crucial to our nation’s financial security because it supports 500,000 American jobs and almost $100 billion in annual economic impact.
Puerto Rico enjoys the world's best container supply chain, which is being illustrated now during the hurricane recovery. Carriers have nearly doubled their cargo-carrying capacity, and by year-end 2017 will have delivered an estimated 63,000 containers of commercial and relief supplies, along with 32,000 utility poles and thousands of non-containerized cargoes, such as generators, trucks, and communications equipment.
Changing the vital Jones Act based on lies, misinformation, and emotional appeals espoused through the media, which are not based on any facts, would be extremely damaging to all concerned.