Through Feb. 11, the Garden State has spread 372,000 tons of salt this year, 44 percent more than during all of last year. Even though it's a balmy 40 degrees this week, politicians live in fear of being unprepared for a snowstorm. So they're desperate to replenish depleted road salt stocks.

Finding more salt was hard enough, but New Jersey managed to secure 40,000 tons from Maine. Then New Jersey's transportation officials realized they had no way of shipping it in, because of a 90-year-old maritime law.

The Jones Act requires that any cargo shipped between two U.S. ports has to be carried by a U.S. flagged ship -- one that's American-owned, American-built, and crewed by American citizens. This tends to limit the options.

New Jersey officials have applied for a federal waiver, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it will grant a waiver only if "federal transportation officials confirmed that no vessels with United States flags were available to move the cargo," according to a report in The New York Times. Oh, and it would also have to be in the best interest of national defense.

So while government officials scour U.S. ports for a boat big enough to carry 40,000 tons of salt, and presumably someone somewhere tries to decide whether icy conditions on the Garden State Parkway constitute a threat to national security, New Jersey is left with little choice but to do this: spread a briny liquid mixed with sand on its roads.

The New Jersey folks found their barge and the bulk salt arrived in the port the end of the week. It was being off loaded and distributed to the various towns and cities in Northern New Jersey. Maybe the real issue is all the silly folks who did not prepare for a bad winter because the last two have been so mild?

The Jones Act is creating jobs today in the USA and right in Philadelphia at the shipyard. I would not be surprised if some of those shipyard workers lived across the Delaware in New Jersey too.

Because of the Jones Act companies from Crowley to Exxon are building coastal vessels in American shipyards, employing Americans, using American materials, etc. etc. etc. The shipyard in Philadelphia is booked up for the next few years as is another shipyard in Mississippi. So it seems that the Jones Act is doing exactly what it was designed to do over 100 years ago -- which is keep Americans employed in the maritime industries.

Oh and as for the necessary waivers .... two years ago they did grant it to move gasoline into the New York/New Jersey area after the super storm that destroyed infrastructure and left gas in short supply.

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Originally posted by steeplechase:
I disagree about an exemption for cruise ships. Pride of America is classified as American Built but only her hull was that I know about. Does anybody have a picture of her before she was shipped off for fitting out? And let's build an American flagged ship! Have a McDonalds and Burger King on board. There is already 24 hour pizza maybe add milkshakes? I think a white trash cruise line is in order here. Have a rusty pick up on display in the dining room and call it Billy Bob's no upcharge though maybe refund $25 if you eat there.
Bring back skeet shooting and maybe have the ship play the Dukes of Hazard theme. A Harley Davidson Bar! Hooters review at midnight? There has got to be some other ideals out there??

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The regulation for passengers I believe comes from the Passenger Vessel Service Act of 1886 which only limits the movement of people between US ports without calling at a more distant foreign port. For years Cartagena, Columbia benefited from this for all the ships wanting to sail between Florida and California via the Panama Canal. It's thank to this act that you fly to Seattle and bus to Canada and fly to San Diego and bus to Mexico to board a ship. But the act has been amended to permit the ships to sail between San Juan and the US mainland as long as no US flag vessel is doing it.