US Receives Request to Waive Jones Act Due to Harvey

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said Friday it has received and is reviewing one request to waive the Jones Act due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey, which has shut down refineries and closed parts of a key pipeline.

The Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. The CBP has occasionally allowed exemptions for oil and gas operators to use often cheaper, tax-free, or more readily available foreign flagged vessels.


(Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)