The 105-Yr-Old Jones Act Strangles U.S. Energy; Time to Repeal It

We've railed against the Jones Act for years. The Jones Act, passed in 1920, requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The problem is, big LNG tankers are all built, owned, and/or operated by foreign countries. You can’t fill up an LNG tanker in Sabine Pass or Cove Point and float it into Boston Harbor and unload it because the ship is not “U.S.-flagged.” It’s illegal under the Jones Act. We came close to repealing it during the first Trump administration, but ultimately failed (see Insider Bureaucrats Sunk LNG Jones Act Waivers During Trump Admin). We spotted a new column echoing our opposition to the Jones Act from the Cato Institute, saying the law is "strangling" U.S. energy, and it's past time to repeal the law.

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