WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Commerce, Science, and
Transportation Committee hearing today to consider various legal remedies
available for the oil spill in the Gulf, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Committee, called on President Obama to waive
the Jones Act to temporarily allow foreign marine vessels to assist with oil
cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hutchison noted that it has been more than two months since the oil
spill began, and an estimated 140 million gallons of oil have leaked into the
Gulf.
“To date, over 20 countries have offered response vessels
and expertise to assist in cleanup of the Gulf,” said Senator Hutchison.
“But because of the 1920 Merchant Marine Act, known as the Jones Act, foreign
vessels are prohibited from operating within three miles of the U.S. coastline,
except after having to go through an extended process for waivers. However, the
waivers have not been granted for foreign skimmers to come within the three
miles and that is where we need them right now.”
Last week, Senator Hutchison introduced S. 3512, the Water
Assistance from International Vessels for Emergency Response Act (WAIVER),
along with Senators LeMieux (R-Fla.), Cornyn (R-Texas), Isakson (R-Ga.), McCain
(R-Ariz.), Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Bond (R-Mo.) and Sessions (R-Ala.), to allow
foreign flagged vessels with crucial equipment to travel between U.S. ports to
provide needed assistance for oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hutchison noted that waiving the Jones Act during an emergency is not without
precedent. Just three days after
Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the previous administration waived the Jones
Act for foreign response vessels to aid in the response efforts.
“This bill would allow the waivers to occur immediately
under the auspices of the Coast Guard,” said Senator Hutchison. “These foreign vessels could come in and help
with the mitigation of the damage. Each
hour that passes without a waiver is one more hour that the communities most in
need of assistance are forced to go without it.
I hope that the President will waive the Jones Act on his own. We
can get this hurdle out of the way right now.
I hope that we can pass my legislation because I think it will give some
real help.”
Senator Hutchison also stated that it was important to work
together to improve the safety of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, in
order to protect the Gulf environment.
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You can view Senator Hutchison’s statement here.
Additional resources:
Hutchison
and LeMieux Introduce Legislation to Provide Assistance to Oil Spill Clean Up
Effort
Hutchison
Calls for Bureaucratic Red Tape to be Cut So Foreign Vessels Can Aid in Gulf
Cleanup