Pallone Urges Agencies to Issue Waiver for Rock Salt Shipment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) sent a letter to the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation, Jeh Johnson and Anthony Foxx, calling on them to issue a waiver that would allow a shipment of rock salt to be delivered to the Port of Newark. The shipment, currently aboard a foreign-flagged vessel, is unable to be unloaded in New Jersey due to a provision in the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act. The provision requires shipments going directly from one port in the United States to another be transported on American-built vessels that are also operated by American crews. Congressman Pallone urged the agencies to work together to provide a waiver before the next winter storm hits New Jersey in order to ensure that the state has the necessary resources.

Below is the full text of the letter:

February 18, 2014

The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
650 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20528

The Honorable Anthony Foxx
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary Johnson and Secretary Foxx:

I write today regarding a shipment of rock salt that is being barred from entering the Port of Newark because the shipment is aboard a foreign-flagged vessel that initially docked at a port in Maine. The foreign-flagged vessel is currently not allowed into the Port of Newark due to a provision in the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act requires that ships with goods traveling between two U.S. ports be delivered on U.S. flagged ships.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has formally requested a waiver of this provision to enable this shipment to be delivered to the Port of Newark. I support the state’s waiver request and ask that you work expeditiously to ensure that this critical shipment of rock salt can be unloaded in New Jersey.

New Jersey has faced multiple snow and ice storms already this winter, depleting the snow removal budgets and rock salt reserves in the state. If this shipment of rock salt to New Jersey is delayed, many in the state could be endangered should another winter storm strike the state in the coming days.

While I am a supporter of the Jones Act, I believe that this is an urgent public safety issue that must be addressed. I ask that your agencies work together to quickly provide a Jones Act waiver for this shipment to provide New Jersey with additional rock salt reserves to ensure that the state has adequate resources to protect public safety during the next winter storm. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.


Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress