Reps. Ritchie Torres, Ed Case, and James Moylan Introduce Legislation to Amend the Jones Act

Today, Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Ed Case (HI-01), and Delegate James Moylan (GU) are introducing the Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act into the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico face some of the highest energy costs in the United States, largely due to limited supply chains and restrictive shipping regulations. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act, which requires that only U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-crewed vessels transport goods between U.S. ports creates restriction that often forces these regions to import energy resources from foreign countries, as there are not enough qualified vessels available to carry U.S.-produced energy products. 

The Jones Act limits the ability of these states and territories to access domestic energy products. For instance, studies have shown that Hawaii and Puerto Rico often rely more on foreign energy sources than on energy from the U.S. mainland, simply because it is more accessible under current regulations. Recently, the U.S. shipping company Crowley was able to reflag a French-built liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker under a loophole to supply LNG to Puerto Rico—but this isolated success is unlikely to be a scalable solution.

In Guam, an exemption to the Jones Act could significantly reduce shipping costs. In Alaska, despite its vast oil and natural gas resources, energy cannot be efficiently shipped to other regions due to the shortage of compliant vessels.

The Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act seeks to address this issue by providing an exemption from the Jones Act for the transport of energy products to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

The bill aims to:

• Lower energy costs for families and businesses in noncontiguous states and territories
• Expand opportunities for U.S. energy companies and domestic energy production
• Improve access to critical energy infrastructure, including generation, distribution, and transmission

By allowing more efficient and cost-effective transportation of energy products, the Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act would help end the artificial scarcity created by the Jones Act. This reform has the potential to create energy abundance, enhance national energy security, and lower costs for millions of Americans living in noncontiguous regions.

The full bill text is attached as a PDF here.

On the bill’s introduction, Rep. Torres said:

“The high cost of energy in places like Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska is not an inevitability: it is the result of outdated policies that no longer serve the public interest. The Jones Act has become a barrier to energy access and affordability in noncontiguous regions, and it’s time to change that. The Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act is a common-sense reform that will lower energy costs, strengthen domestic energy supply chains, and bring long-overdue relief to millions of Americans who are unfairly burdened by these constraints.”

Rep. Case said:

“I continue to introduce measures to address a key driver of the high cost of living in my Hawai‘i: the antiquated century-plus Merchant Marine Act of 1920, or the Jones Act. The Jones Act uniquely punishes non-contiguous areas of our country like Hawai‘i, Alaska, Guam and Puerto Rico, communities with no choice but to rely on ocean transport. The result is federally-created monopolies on our community lifelines and resulting extortionist shipping prices passed through to sky-high costs for food, fuel and electricity. In energy specifically, my Hawai‘i endures some of the highest energy costs in our nation, in large part thanks to the Jones Act. By exempting energy shipments from the Jones Act, this measure would bring immediate, targeted relief to Americans who bear its harshest consequences, through no fault of their own but a unique combination of federal mandate and geography.”

Del. Moylan said: 

“I am grateful to Reps. Ritchie Torres and Ed Case for their leadership in introducing the Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act. This legislation aims to lower energy costs for families and businesses in noncontiguous states and territories, expand opportunities for U.S. energy companies, and improve access to critical energy infrastructure. Together, we are working to provide much-needed relief to residents in Guam and other regions by addressing the challenges created by the Jones Act.”