The administration plans to issue 30-day waivers to the Jones Act, the century-old U.S. maritime statute that requires vessels engaged in trade between domestic ports to be built, owned and crewed by Americans, according to a report from Bloomberg citing people familiar with the matter.
Under the proposed temporary exemptions, foreign-flagged tankers would be allowed to carry fuel to refiners on the U.S. East Coast from the Gulf Coast and other locations within the United States. Sources familiar with the discussions, who were not authorized to speak publicly, described the waivers as lasting 30 days.
Officials are presenting the move as part of the administration's effort to respond to upward pressure on crude and gasoline prices that has occurred amid the war in Iran. The broader policy review includes multiple options being considered by the president to address the increase in petroleum prices, according to the people cited in the Bloomberg report.
The individuals who described the planned waivers emphasized that the exemptions are temporary and limited in duration. Beyond noting the 30-day timeframe and the targeted aim of enabling foreign tankers to supply East Coast refiners from Gulf Coast and other U.S. sources, the report did not provide additional operational details or specify how quickly the waivers would be implemented.
Because those speaking to the report were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, official announcements or additional details from the administration were not included in the available reporting. The information in the report frames the waivers as one element within a set of policy steps under consideration to influence domestic fuel availability and price dynamics.
Summary: The administration is preparing 30-day Jones Act waivers to permit foreign tankers to move fuel between U.S. ports, enabling shipments to East Coast refiners from the Gulf Coast and other U.S. locations. The step is described as part of broader efforts to respond to rising crude and gasoline prices amid the war in Iran.