The Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with an Obama administration proposal aimed at reversing long-standing Jones Act exemptions and is not considering weakening its criteria for waivers from the maritime law, a US Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said. Those waivers “may only be granted if necessary in the interest of national defense,” as they traditionally have been, Katrina Skinner, the CBP spokeswoman, said in a statement to S&P Global Platts on Monday. The issue centers on a change CBP proposed on January 18, just two days before the Obama administration ended, that would revoke decades of rulings allowing foreign-built vessels to transport certain equipment, such as repair pipe, between US ports and oil and gas operations in US waters. The change, which is backed by the US maritime industry and a bipartisan swath of Congress, would represent a significant strengthening of the federal government’s enforcement of […]