Political Quotes

“I rise to commend Chairman Howard Coble, chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, for scheduling a hearing to review our maritime policy. In particular, this hearing will take a close look at the Jones Act, which requires that goods between American ports be shipped on American vessels. The Jones Act might make sense for some mainland communities, but it does not make sense for Guam, 8,000 miles away from the west coast. Unfortunately for Guam, the defenders of the Jones Act form a unique coalition of labor and corporate interests who have every intention of fighting to preserve their corporate pork and their captive markets. We need to study this issue carefully and, while we recognize a national need for a strong merchant marine, this objective should not be accomplished at the expense of small island communities or the American consumer. At the very least, Congress should examine the changing regulatory environment and the movement to free trade. We should consider which regulatory regime makes sense for the offshore domestic trades--complete deregulation, with full competition, or a regulated environment, with protections for the consumer against shipping carrier rate abuses. Guam's position is that the Jones Act should not apply to territories outside the U.S. Customs Zone--and Guam is the only U.S. territory located outside the U.S. Customs Zone subject to the Jones Act.”