7 comments

  1. Why Puerto Rico is being denied shipping deliveries of fuel?

    There are many people on the island who haven’t had power for 20 days (Irma passed by on September 7). These are American citizens and the same for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Why do Americans have to beg for help from 45?

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  2. The Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between US ports to be carried by American owned-and-operated ships. Evidently both sides of the isle have agreed to lift the Jones act, just hours ago, overrideing the President. This will allow ships from other countries to directly ship fuel to the island. It was lifted for 7 days after Irma, which caused minimal damage to PR. I agree Ron, the President need to lift the ban the day Maria hit.

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    1. The Jones Act is often waived in a disaster:

      The Jones Act survives because it prevents a handful of US shipbuilding and merchant shipping operations from going out of business, and nobody else with political clout really cares.

      But the executive branch has the authority to waive the act in special circumstances, as it has done in the past whenever the downside of making it excessively expensive to ship American goods from one place in America to another becomes a high-profile issue.

      The Bush administration issued Jones Act waivers after Hurricanes Katrina and Hurricane to speed the shipment of fuel to the Gulf Coast.

      The Obama administration issued a more limited waiver after Hurricane Sandy, again to speed the shipment of fuel.

      On September 8, the Trump administration issued Jones Act waivers for areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

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      1. Hurricane Maria will be 45’s Katrina, remember President George W. Bush saying, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” 45 is saying his administration’s is doing a great job helping Puerto Rico recovering from hurricane Maria. I don’t think that 45 really knew that citizens of Puerto Rico are American citizens. It’s a disgrace that these Americans are begging for help.

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  3. Dave Walker talked often about his experience about being involved with the future fiscal/financial recovery/bailout of Puerto Rico. Does Dave Walker have any thoughts about the effects and destruction of Hurricane Maria upon Puerto Rico?

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    1. Frank, here is the main problem in Puerto Rico that Dave Walker and the others who were involve with that group didn’t resolve. One of the most cited contributors to the high cost of living in Puerto Rico is the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, which prevents foreign-flagged ships from carrying cargo between two American ports, a practice known as cabotage. Because of the Jones Act, foreign ships inbound with goods from Central and South America, Western Europe, and Africa cannot stop in Puerto Rico, offload Puerto Rico-bound goods, load mainland-bound Puerto Rico-manufactured goods, and continue to U.S. ports. Instead, they must proceed directly to U.S. ports, where distributors break bulk. and send Puerto Rico-bound manufactured goods to Puerto Rico across the ocean by U.S.-flagged ships

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