President Trump has decided to extend the partial Jones Act waiver for another 90 days, according to a White House official cited today by Bloomberg. The decision comes just four days after NEFI and the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) wrote to the President on Monday, November 9, asking for exactly that: a 90-day extension to carry the waiver through the heating season. The Jones Act requires cargo moving between U.S. ports to travel on ships that are U.S.-built, -owned, and -crewed. The waiver allows some foreign-flagged vessels to carry oil and other commodities between U.S. ports.

The current waiver expires this weekend, and a 90-day extension would carry it into mid-February. Earlier reports indicated that voyages will continue to require case-by-case approval, the process in place since August. The formal announcement and the full list of covered products have not yet been published. 

NEFI has led industry efforts on the waiver since it was first issued in March, including a 14-association coalition letter to congressional leaders this spring and a 15-association letter to the White House in July.

The waiver has helped keep prices in check. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on X that "the waiver has been a reason that gasoline and diesel prices didn't go even higher over the last few months," calling it "one of the levers that was likely more impactful."

According to the Cato Institute, the amount of fuel transported from the Gulf to New England by vessels operating under the Jones Act waiver has exceeded the last three years combined. (See chart below.)

This extension keeps additional vessels available to move fuel between U.S. ports through the coldest months of the year. NEFI will share the details once the formal notice is issued, and will continue pressing for a durable, longer-term solution for delivered fuels.

For more information, please contact NEFI Manager of Government Affairs, Liam Dotson, at liam.dotson@nefi.com.

Read our letter to President Trump here.