This is nuts.
A skimmer capable gathering more oil in a day than has been collected to date in the Gulf is being kept out of the action because of the union-protectionist Jone’s Act.
Makes sense since Louisiana voted for McCain and the unions voted for Obama.
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Excerpted from AP: Super skimmer stops in Virginia while waiting for clearance to work in Gulf, June 28th, 2010
With no assurances it will be allowed to join the Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup, a Taiwanese-owned ship billed as the world’s largest skimming vessel is docked in Norfolk, VA ready to join the Gulf clean-op effort.
The ship—the length of 3 1/2 football fields and 10 stories high—is designed to collect up to 500,000 barrels of oily water a day.
The company is still negotiating with the Coast Guard to join the cleanup and does not have a contract with BP to perform cleanup work. The company also needs environmental approval and waiver of a nearly century-old Jones law aimed at protecting U.S. union interests.
Environmental Protection Agency approval is required because some of the seawater returned to the Gulf would have traces of oil.
The Coast Guard, which has received more than 2,000 cleanup proposals, said the supertanker skimmer had survived a preliminary review and was being studied further.
The converted oil tanker has the capacity of holding 2 million barrels, but would limit its holding tanks to 1 million barrels for environmental reasons. Oil skimmed up by the tanker would be separated from seawater, then transferred to another vessel.
Its owners claim the ship could gulp oily water at a daily rate that nearly matches the skimming total to date in the Gulf.
“This spill is unprecedented and you need an unprecedented solution.“
Full article:
http://dailycaller.com/2010/06/28/super-skimmer-stops-in-virginia-while-waiting-for-clearance-to-work-in-gulf/
The Homa Files 
June 29, 2010 at 10:26 am |
“We are doing everything we can”, really Mr. President?!
June 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm |
This is absolutely crazy. What are our officials thinking. We need to do everything possible. Polution from the skimmer! What about the polution that is occuring minute by minute. The gulf coast crisis is just something to report on the news and listen to all talk and do nothing. I am angry!
June 30, 2010 at 9:33 am |
The Jones Act also plays a part in higher gasoline and diesel prices on the East Coast.
The US East Coast doesn’t have enough refining capacity to meet in sitsu needs and must bring in fuel from the Gulf Coast or forgien markets. The pipelines from Texas and Louisiana are full and Jones Act ships are fairly small and carry higher per cargo unit operating costs compared to internationally flagged vessels.
Therefore ~25% of the gasoline sold along the East Coast is imported from Europe and the Carribean.
Seems like changes in the Jones Act on this issue could create more jobs for refiners and longshoremen in the US, reduce the total carbon footprint of a gallon of gasoline and reduce fuel prices by a few cents per gallon.