I would like to thank Ryan Uljua for his article expressing his opinions on the Jones Act. The Jones Act is a very important piece of legislation and one that provides significant benefit to our state and to our country. It is common for there to be confusion or misconceptions related to the Jones Act, and I would like to take a minute to share the facts about how the Jones Act provides significant benefits to Alaskans.
First and foremost, the Jones Act is vital to our national security. The Jones Act is critical to ensure homeland security along our coastlines and inland waterways. It promotes economic security for more than 500,000 Americans and safeguards our national security with both a robust merchant marine fleet to serve in peace and war along with a competitive shipbuilding industry that creates and maintains the world's best Navy. As a veteran myself, I take pride in knowing that we are better-equipped and better-trained than any other military forces. The Jones Act requirements ensure the resiliency of our shipbuilding industry and technical expertise to remain at the top of our game.
Second of all, there are significant commercial and economic benefits because of the Jones Act. I would note a few facts reported by the Alaska Department of Labor:
· Alaska is the second-largest state in America for domestic maritime industry jobs per capita.
· The American maritime industry provides a $1.1 billion annual contribution to the Alaska economy, including $345 million in worker income.
· The Jones Act is a hire-Alaskan provision for a state that thrives on ocean shipping.
· Marine shipping is a key economic driver for Alaska, with 90 percent of consumer and industrial goods arriving in Alaska by ship.
Last but not least, the geography and population of our great state would not economically allow for a non-Jones Act carrier to provide the dedicated and reliable service we see today. Efficient navigation routes to and from the Pacific do not support a "pit stop" in Alaska to offload freight before heading to or from West Coast ports. Additionally, we do not have the facilities in Alaska to support this type of retail supply chain. Currently, our retailers depend on reliable and dedicated service to leverage "just in time" delivery for the freshest and most efficient goods and services.
In today's turbulent and volatile global economy, a strong shipbuilding and maritime industry that provides safety and security to our nation's coastlines and waterways is as important as ever. For Alaskans, the benefit of a dedicated service to deliver everything we eat, use and wear is critical to our quality of life and well-being. The Jones Act is more critical now than ever.
Mr. Uljua, please consider this an open invitation to join me for a ship tour and to learn more about why our industry is so critical to our state, to the other non-contiguous states and territories of our nation as well as to all of the American people.
Grace Greene is the vice president and general manager for TOTE Maritime Alaska, which provides dedicated maritime shipping between the ports of Tacoma and Anchorage and has been bringing goods to Alaska for more than 42 years.