Letter to the Editor – Published in The Washington Post – September 18, 2017
Regarding the Sept. 13 The Energy 202 column, “Hurricanes Irma and Harvey renew calls to ax obscure shipping law” [PowerPost]:
The domestic maritime industry is an indispensable part of the United States’ national and homeland- and economic-security interests — particularly in times of national disaster when it responds around the clock to those in need. Our industry supports nearly 500,000 American jobs and moves nearly 1 billion tons of cargo every year in a cost-effective manner.
When the Florida ports reopened, first in were U.S. vessels and U.S. mariners carrying U.S. gas to Americans in need. Today, vessels covered under the Merchant Marine Act — better known as the Jones Act — are delivering fuel to communities in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions, while continuing to strengthen America’s economic security and prosperity.
Thomas A. Allegretti, Washington
The writer is chairman of the American Maritime Partnership, which represents the domestic maritime industry.
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