Law Protecting Unions Hinders Gulf Cleanup

[mugs]

The Jones Act says that ships operating off the U.S. coast must be crewed by US union workers.

I think you just added the word "union." Unless you can quote the part of the Jones Act that states that the crews have to be in unions. Even Fox News didn't claim that.

 

[Darwin333]

What a perfect issue for the Republicans to hype for their agenda.

They would like to defend BP, based on their 'corporations can do almost anything and get their backing' position, but that's politically costly.

And they love to attack unions, who cost the rich money by making pay higher than substinence and not having an oligarchy of wealth.

This lets them do both - by hyping the story, they can change the subject from BP's wrongdoing, and attack unions and the Obama administration, and even praise Bush.

Of course the story will get into their talking points, it serves their agenda very well.

I wouldn't look to them for any responsible issues to get answered like the actual impact of the law on this situation. No, the oil would already be gone but for Obama and unions!

The Republicans have been far too willing to screw workers with anti-union policies - for example, the Bush adminstration creating massive federal programs with non-union work.

That was an abuse of such 'exemptions' for their pro-rich agenda.

It seems it would be justified to have an exception here, if it would help. That's a question to look into. But not to have the issue hyped without any answer.

Say all the bullshit you want but the FACT is the Federal government has done more to hurt or hinder the cleanup and mitigation effort than they have helped. You can take that however you want it and try to blame whoever you want but that is the cold hard fact of the current situation. This is but one of many many issues concerning the Feds response to protecting the national security of this country, the economies of the Gulf states and their environments.

 

[trenchfoot]

Snipped from another political discussion forum:

"Fox & Friends misleads on international aid to the Gulf spill (surprise, surprise)
http://mediamatters.org/research/201006110023

To sum it up: The Jones Act only regulates ship travel between U.S. ports. Bush waived it after Katrina to move oil from one American port to another. But the Jones act says nothing about bringing in foreign vessels for emergencies so there’s no need for a waiver. In fact, they have been bringing in foreign rigs."


How the Union "boogymen" have anything to do with preventing foreign help from pitching in because of the Jones Act seems pretty remote if this is true.

 

[Strk]

Snipped from another political discussion forum:

"Fox & Friends misleads on international aid to the Gulf spill (surprise, surprise)
http://mediamatters.org/research/201006110023

To sum it up: The Jones Act only regulates ship travel between U.S. ports. Bush waived it after Katrina to move oil from one American port to another. But the Jones act says nothing about bringing in foreign vessels for emergencies so there’s no need for a waiver. In fact, they have been bringing in foreign rigs."


How the Union "boogymen" have anything to do with preventing foreign help from pitching in because of the Jones Act seems pretty remote if this is true.

As far as I've read, it's just unions taking issue with it, but not that they're required.

It's kind of a "just happens to be union" type of situation.

 

[spidey07]

So...has he lifted or suspended it? I can't find anything that say he has or even intends to.

 

[RedCOMET]

Or maybe, and I know this is a real big stretch, why didn't the Feds waive the rules and hire the boats their damned selves like we have been begging them to do and then send the bill to BP? One would think that 50+ days would be plenty of time but they would evidently be wrong.

The Feds have been nothing but a part of the problem. From the Coast Guard, the COE, the EPA, the Administration, etc... Lead, follow or get the fuck out of the way.

Bottom line is the Feds need to STOP BEING A PART OF THE FUCKING PROBLEM AND START BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION. Clear enough or is the font not acceptable to some asshole bureaucrat who does nothing but push paper?
______

I was going to post something silmilar to this, but without the govt part. I think this incident shows that if some thing like this ever happens again, organizatoinal structure of the command team needs to change.

 

[RedCOMET]

Say all the bullshit you want but the FACT is the Federal government has done more to hurt or hinder the cleanup and mitigation effort than they have helped. You can take that however you want it and try to blame whoever you want but that is the cold hard fact of the current situation. This is but one of many many issues concerning the Feds response to protecting the national security of this country, the economies of the Gulf states and their environments.

And the Fed govt has the audacity to open up a criminal probe into the events leader up to the explosoin / leak and the clean up response to date. If they have been their in a command / helping capacity what is this probe going to reveal... they no body knows what the hell they are doing, and that the current oversight / expertise that exist doesn't help with jack shit?

 

[spidey07]

So has he lifted this yet?

 

[heyheybooboo]

So has he lifted this yet?

He doesn't have to:

46 USC 55113 - Use of foreign documented oil spill response vessels

"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an oil spill response vessel documented under the laws of a foreign country may operate in waters of the United States on an emergency and temporary basis, for the purpose of recovering, transporting,
and unloading in a United States port oil discharged as a result of an oil spill in or near those waters, if--

"(1) an adequate number and type of oil spill response vessels documented under the laws of the United States cannot be engaged to recover oil from an oil spill in or near those waters in a timely manner, as determined by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for a discharge or threat of a discharge of oil; and

"(2) the foreign country has by its laws accorded to vessels of the United States the same privileges accorded to vessels of the foreign country under this section.

and ...

15 Foreign Flagged Vessels Aiding in Oil Spill Cleanup-Accelerated Processing for Jones Act Waivers Announced
June 15, 2010

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen announced the development of specific guidance to ensure accelerated processing of requests for Jones Act waivers should they be received as a part of the BP oil spill response.

Currently, 15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved in the largest response to an oil spill in U.S. history. No Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required such a waiver to conduct their operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

However, in order to prepare for any potential need, Admiral Allen has provided guidance to the Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Maritime Administration to ensure any Jones Act waiver requests receive urgent attention and processing.

“While we have not seen any need to waive the Jones Act as part of this historic response, we continue to prepare for all possible scenarios,” said Admiral Allen. “Should any waivers be needed, we are prepared to process them as quickly as possible to allow vital spill response activities being undertaken by foreign-flagged vessels to continue without delay.”

So all the Ranting and Raging and Propaganda is for nothing.





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