Early in this decade, chances are good that unless you lived in the Pacific Northwest or near Capitol Hill, it wasn’t easy to get into a conversation about ANWR and whether the U.S. should open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for safe oil exploration.Today, with gasoline at well over $4 a gallon in most parts of the country and with other energy costs also increasing, things have changed – in more ways than one.
ANWR is all over the news, all across the land. “Energy independence” is now a hot topic in the November elections, and the latest polling shows a significant change in public attitudes not only about oil exploration in ANWR but also about offshore drilling.
According to numerous news reports, and again based on reliable polling, most Americans now favor such exploration. (In the case of ANWR, a great majority of Alaskans have long supported exploration.) Most also believe it will lead to lower prices for energy in the U.S.
For the record, the SIU’s position on ANWR is that we still believe ANWR exploration potentially offers substantial benefits for the entire nation. In particular where the SIU is concerned, it could lead to significant numbers of new jobs in the U.S. Merchant Marine.
When and if the time comes, oil delivered from ANWR should and will be carried aboard American-flag ships. Such procedure is just good common sense, not to mention it is required by the Jones Act, which mandates that cargo moved from one U.S. port to another be transported aboard vessels that are crewed, flagged, owned and built American.
If as a nation we’re aiming for greater self reliance, then a viable, strong U.S.-flag fleet is a crucial part of the equation. And laws like the Jones Act and the U.S. Maritime Security Program are more important than ever to our country’s wellbeing.
The same line of thinking holds true in regards to liquefied gas, a very lively topic at several large ports across the country. As this issue of the LOG went to press, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced that one company (Suez Energy), as part of its liquefied natural gas deepwater port license application, has committed to use an American-flag, U.S.-crewed ship (including the unlicensed mariners) in the company’s proposed LNG import facility off the Florida coast. I applaud the announcement and I hope it’s just one of many such commitments to come.
As I wrote last year, as our government issues licenses for new LNG terminals – and with the very probable increase in importing such cargo – it’s not only good policy but also sound, safe judgment to acknowledge that having U.S. LNG vessels and crews will help reduce any economic leverage or even outright threats from those who wish to harm our nation.
U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton put it quite well last month in his Suez announcement. In part, he said, “The employment of U.S. citizens aboard the LNG vessels serving our natural gas receiving facilities is clearly in the nation’s best interest. Placing the transportation of LNG under the control of U.S. mariners, who are subject to strenuous background checks, will add an additional layer of safety and security to our energy supply chain.”
The same logic applies to the ANWR situation and, for that matter, to other cargoes. In fact, this goes beyond the energy issue and extends to the core reasons why we need a strong U.S. Merchant Marine in the first place. Whether we’re delivering materiel for our troops, or moving oil from coast to coast, or bringing loaded containers from overseas, or plying the inland waterways or sailing on the Great Lakes, the U.S. Merchant Marine is a necessary, reliable part of the very fabric of America’s national and economic security. Our track record proves it, and so do the Seafarers who are currently sailing aboard all kinds of ships, all over the world.
In the ongoing debate over energy, the U.S. Merchant Marine’s role, value and dependability will not be overlooked.
Printer Friendly Page