Editor's Desk: Tony Munoz's Top 10 Editorials of 2011

In 2011 the U.S. maritime industry saw budgets slashed to nearly nothing and witnessed the testing and opposition of laws and policies originally created to serve the industry. Always out front of the issues - The Maritime Executive covered it all - proving readers with facts and commentatry to keep them informed. MarEx's Editor-in-chief, Tony Munoz, took on each issue as it happened. Here are some of his top opinion pieces from the past year:

Jones Act Dead at 91

The Jones Act died last week from injuries suffered when a run-a-way drilling rig illegally ran a red light. Witnesses said the rig had performed a questionable maneuver known as a ‘bank-shot’ before racing towards the oil-rich sanctuary called the Kitchen Lights. READ MORE>>

Occupy MARAD! 

The September 2011 MARAD report, “Comparison of U.S. and Foreign-Flag Operating Costs,” was not only a waste of precious dollars but filled with “analysis-paralysis” comparisons and meaningless data the Maritime Administration has had for decades. More importantly, the report is simply a...READ MORE>>

The Jones Act in Extremis

Escopeta Oil is holding the Jones Act hostage in a masterful game of leverage with the Alaskan people and the U.S. government.

The State of Alaska is hungry for oil and gas production in Cook Inlet basin, and many in the state legislature are...READ MORE>>

From Whom the Bell Tolls 

The Administration’s ZERO Bucks Plan for Maritime
An exuberant President Obama last week unveiled a $447 billion infrastructure plan to quickly inject money into the economy and create jobs. The plan included $50 billion to jumpstart surface transportation projects, but the strategy once again emphasized rail, air and highways. That’s right: “ZERO” bucks for maritime...READ MORE>>

U.S. Cargo Preference in the Crosshairs

Recent GAO Report Highlights Inefficiencies
The Government Accounting Office (GAO) issued a June 2011 report about the high cost of the U.S. Food Aid program due to the requirement that preference be given to U.S.-flag carriers. The report said that U.S. taxpayers are paying an estimated $140 million each year in preferential transportation costs. READ MORE>>

America's Marine Highways Impeded by the Jones Act

Congressional Research Service tells Congress the Jones Act is a barrier to America’s Marine Highway Program.

While researching issues surrounding the Harbor Maintenance Tax, I came across a report issued by the Congressional Research Service dated January 14, 2011. Its author, John Frittelli, tells Congress that “if not for the Jones Act,...READ MORE>>

Violating the Jones Act?

Escopeta Oil and Gas transports jack-up drilling rig from Texas to Alaska via Chinese ship based on a 2006 Jones Act waiver.

In 2006, Escopeta Oil and Gas obtained a Jones Act waiver with the help of Alaskan Governor Frank Murkowski, Senator Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young. At the time the waiver was granted there were no U.S.-flagged vessels that...READ MORE>>

Strategic Petroleum Sale Highlights Weak U.S. Markets

Generations of inadequate maritime policies were highlighted again with the June sale of 30 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). While buyers were barred from exporting the oil, the entire sale, except for a 150,000-barrel barge load and a pipeline delivery, was transported by foreign vessel operators. READ MORE>>

U.S. Maritime Gets No Money from DOT or MARAD

Secretary LaHood and Administrator Masuda went before Congress this March with their respective DOT and MARAD budgets for 2012. And, as usual, the U.S maritime was left out of America’s plans for cleaner, safer, and more fuel efficient modes of transportation for domestic commerce. DOT-MARAD essentially shelved the marine highways program and job creation for waterfront and shipyard workers till later in the decade. READ MORE>>

BWTS: It Doesn't Have to be a Four Letter Word

Hitching a Ride:
Since ancient man began exploring the world around him by water, a species of some sort has caught a ride and begun breaching the biogeographic barriers that had existed for millions of years. These invading creatures have altered the evolutionary process by competitive exclusion, displacement, hybridization and predatory behavior, all of which can and have led to the extinction of indigenous species. The invaders themselves have evolved and mutated and changed the biological environment – with grave consequences. READ MORE>>