Editorial Board
The Jones Act Serves No Purpose
If the shipping law worked as intended, its costs might be forgiven. But it doesn't.
When U.S. shipbuilders ruled the waves.
Photographer: Fox PhotosThe costs of the Jones Act -- the law requiring all maritime commerce between U.S. ports to be carried on ships built, crewed and owned by Americans -- get too little attention. The toll is heavy, and the burden is unfairly distributed. But what if the law serves a vital purpose? Are these costs somehow justified?
Defenders of the law say it's needed to sustain maritime industry -- a sector that's essential during national emergencies or wartime. Yet if this is the law's purpose, it sure isn't working.