The Jones Act Keeps Assets in Lower Valued Uses

Speaking about the cleanup from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last week, President Obama declared "But make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes." Then why are why turning away the skimmers offered by foreign countries that the Gulf governors have called for? The Christian Science Monitor reports:

"We are still receiving reports of foreign-flagged vessels being turned away or their offers of assistance hanging in limbo. That should not be the case," Sen. George LeMieux (R) of Florida wrote to President Obama Friday.

The culprit?

... the 1920 Jones Act, a protectionist law that prohibits foreign-flagged boats and crews from doing port-to-port duty within 3 miles of the US coast.

The alternative?

Grasping to boost the spill response as BP tries to contain a runaway wellhead spewing up to 60,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf a day, Adm. Allen announced Friday that Unified Command is outfitting 2,753 locally-owned boats with skimming equipment, a process that could take two months. That, at least, is likely to prove politically popular along the Gulf Coast, where many residents are clamoring for ways to help fight the spill – and to get paid doing it.

Hat tip: Jane Himarios