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Monday,
August 10, 2026 – President
Trump today extended the Jones Act
waiver for an additional 90 days, August
17, providing continued shipping
flexibility for foreign ships
transporting oil, energy products, and
agricultural commodities to U.S. ports.
The new waiver takes effect August 17
and follows the Administration’s
previous 90-day extension issued in
April.
The Jones Act generally
requires cargo moving by water between
U.S. ports to be transported on vessels
that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned,
U.S.-flagged and crewed by American
workers. The temporary waiver allows
qualifying foreign-flagged vessels to
participate in domestic movements,
increasing available shipping capacity
and providing additional options for
moving fuel between regions of the
country.
The latest extension is
narrower than the existing waiver issued
in April. Under the August 17 extension:
- The waiver is focused primarily
on energy products. Covered commodities
include gasoline, jet fuel, crude oil,
naphtha, liquefied natural gas, soy oil
and fertilizers, a significant reduction
from the hundreds of product categories
covered under the previous waiver.
- Voyages will be reviewed on a
case-by-case basis. Rather than
providing blanket relief, individual
voyages will be considered separately.
- MARAD will have a greater role. The
Department of War must consult with the
U.S. Maritime Administration regarding
the availability of U.S.-flagged,
U.S.-owned and U.S.-operated vessels
before determining whether a voyage
qualifies.
The White House says
the waiver has already driven a
significant increase in domestic
deliveries of gasoline, diesel and jet
fuel. Earlier in the waiver period,
expanded vessel availability also opened
additional routes for moving Gulf Coast
fuel to supply-constrained markets,
demonstrating the value of greater
flexibility in the domestic fuel
distribution system.
The
case-by-case review process could make
relief somewhat less immediate than
under the current blanket waiver, but
the additional 90 days preserve an
important tool for moving fuel where it
is needed and easing transportation
bottlenecks that can contribute to
regional supply and price pressures.
EMA strongly supports the
Administration’s decision to continue
the waiver and will continue working
with the White House and Congress to
extend this relief through the winter
and pursue meaningful, permanent reform
of Jones Act restrictions affecting the
transportation of petroleum products.
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