Trump again waives shipping rules to bring prices down
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The Trump administration is once again waiving U.S. shipping rules as part of an effort to keep gasoline and other fuel costs down, the White House said Monday.
In particular, it issued another 90-day waiver of the Jones Act , a 100-year-old law that requires shipping between U.S. ports to be conducted by American ships.
“Today, the Trump Administration issued a 90-day extension to the Jones Act waiver to ensure our military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
The administration issued a waiver allowing foreign ships to move products between U.S. ports in March and announced an extension in April as the war in Iran drove up fuel and other prices .
The war in Iran has driven up prices of energy and other commodities because Iran has been able to block off shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint off its coast.
As of Monday, the average U.S. gasoline price was about $4.01 per gallon, according to AAA , about 87 cents higher than the average at this time last year.
However, as the waivers have received some pushback among the domestic shipping industry, the White House said that this time, it was taking a narrower approach to the waiver, limiting it to apply only to certain commodities , including gasoline, diesel, crude oil, petrochemicals, natural gas and fertilizer.
It will also require the Defense Department to consult with the U.S. Maritime Administration on whether Jones Act-compliant vessels are available before deciding whether the waiver will apply to an individual voyage.
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