It has been 59 days since an explosion destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. President Obama still refuses to waive the Jones Act. Foreign ships have been and continue to be available to assist, but President Obama has declined their offers and won’t permit their ships to help. Protecting union jobs is apparently much more important than dealing with the eco-catastrophe.

What is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act (aka the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) forbids foreign vessels from operating in US territorial waters. The provisions of the Jones Act may be waived by the Secretary of Homeland Security on her own initiative, at the request of the Secretary of Defense, or by direction of the President.

President Bush did it on Day Three after Hurricane Katrina in September of 2005. And again, less than a month later after the landfall of Hurricane Rita. See here for a recap by Keith Hennesy, the Bush Administration official who coordinated the Jones Act waivers in 2005.

Day 59. Still no waiver from President Obama.