Florida Lawmakers Press President to Remove Bureaucratic Hurdles to Spill Cleanup

Press Release

U.S. Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Chumuckla) today asked President Obama to waive portions of the Jones Act so as to allow more resources to take part in oil mitigation activities in the Gulf. The lawmakers also called on the president to press British Petroleum to expedite the payment of claims.

The letter states, in part:

"We remain concerned that inadequate resources are being dedicated to containing and removing oil from the Gulf before it reaches our fragile coastline.

"…there are numerous reports that offers by foreign corporations or governments to send skimmer vessels to the Gulf have been refused as a result of concerns arising from the Jones Act, which, among other things, regulates the use of foreign-owned vessels between U.S. ports. However, your Administration has the authority to waive any bureaucratic barriers that may exist under the Jones Act."

LeMieux and Miller also called attention to the need for BP to expedite their claims process.

"In our conversations with local officials and impacted business-owners and families in the Panhandle of Florida, the issues are clear: BP must fix and enhance its claims process to better address the severe economic stress this spill has caused…"

Senator LeMieux and Congressman Miller will be among the principals meeting with President Obama in Pensacola on Tuesday, to discuss the status of the Gulf disaster and efforts to improve the ongoing operation.

BACKGROUND: The Jones Act provides a federal framework for maritime labor relations and contains provisions requiring ships working in U.S. waters to be U.S. built, owned and operated. Jones Act waivers are administrative decisions that allow the use of vessels and shipping situations that wouldn't normally be legal under the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. One recent example of a waiver of the act occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

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