The Jones Act benefits Puerto Rico in many ways

The Miami Herald posted the following letter to the editor from the National President of American Maritime Officers on their website on September 29 and published the letter in their print edition on September 30.

The Miami Herald's report on the waiver of the domestic shipping law known as the Jones Act to allow the foreign-flagged tanker delivery of diesel fuel to Puerto Rico included this disturbing quote from San Juan Roman Catholic Archbishop Roberto Gonzales Nieves: "The Jones Act should be repealed - it is immoral."

The Jones Act provides Puerto Rican residents working at sea and ashore under this law with high-standard, family-friendly wages, comprehensive health insurance and retirement security benefits, among other advantages. Jones Act dry cargo ships operate routinely and efficiently between ports in shuttle service between Florida and Puerto Rico, delivering essential consumer goods and equipment to everyone in this U.S. territory. Foreign-flagged ships already monopolize delivery of petroleum products to Puerto Rico - fuels that are not sourced in the U.S. mainland.

The Jones Act accounts for some 700,000 jobs nationwide - only Louisiana provides more of these jobs than Florida, which gains from Jones Act services on three coasts. Today's Jones Act cargo ships are indeed suited for national security services in defense emergencies, and this law generates the highly trained and dedicated U.S. merchant mariner labor force needed to deliver cargoes to U.S. Armed Forces personnel overseas. The Jones Act stands on absolute merit at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.

"Immoral?" The church should know better.