Red Tape Shouldn't Stop Relief From Getting to Gulf Clean-Up Efforts

Washington, D.C. -Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., ranking Republican on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, urged President Obama to waive the requirements of the Jones Act and accept help from other nations to address the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The emergency in the Gulf represents an 'all hands on deck' situation," Sensenbrenner wrote in a letter to the White House today. "The Gulf Coast simply needs all the help it can get."

The Jones Act limits transportation of merchandise in U.S. waters to American vessels. This has prevented the U.S. from accepting the help of additional clean-up ships that are foreign owned. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have offered oil-skimming ships, booms and chemical dispersants, but the Administration has refused this aid.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson, D, and Attorney General Bill McCollum, R, have both requested that the Jones Act be waived, though White House officials have said repeatedly that it's not necessary. Former President Bush waived the Jones Act within days of Hurricane Katrina.

Additionally, Sensenbrenner said that union opposition to waiving the Jones Act shouldn't serve to prevent critical aid from reaching the Gulf of Mexico.

"The White House has rejected and downplayed offers of help from foreign allies. We should act swiftly to get as many resources as possible to relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico," Sensenbrenner said. "The President has to put the needs of the people of the Gulf States above politics and accept the gracious help that other nations have offered. It's time to cut through the red tape. Otherwise, he is just exacerbating the harm this spill will cause to the people, the industry and the wildlife of this region."

Click here to view the letter.

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