Puerto Rico gets Jones Act waiver for liquefied natural gas shipments 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Sunday approved a temporary waiver of U.S. cargo transport rules in order to provide Puerto Rico with liquefied natural gas as it recovers from Hurricane Fiona.  

The move temporarily waives the Jones Act, which permits only U.S. flagged vessels to complete maritime cargo transport between U.S. ports. 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approved a similar waiver in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane to address the island’s fuel and diesel needs. 

Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico in September, at one point knocking out power across the entire island as it hammered the power grid. 

“In support of the Puerto Rican people as they continue to recover from Hurricane Fiona, I have approved a temporary and targeted Jones Act waiver to address the unique and urgent need for liquified natural gas in Puerto Rico,” Mayorkas said in a release from the Homeland Security Department.

The U.S. territory’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, on Friday requested the waiver “to allow for a natural gas barge from the Dominican Republic” to arrive on the island and pushed for expedited approval to keep Puerto Rico’s EcoEléctrica plant in operation, according to Twitter updates from the governor.  

Mayorkas noted in the Sunday announcement that the granted waiver was decided upon with input from Pierluisi as well as the Transportation and Energy departments.  

“The unique and urgent need for liquefied natural gas in Puerto Rico, as well as the lack of U.S. flag ships available to deliver the gas on the needed timeline, led the Department of Homeland Security to determine that a Jones Act waiver was warranted in this case,” Deputy National Economic Council Director for Labor Celeste Drake said in a statement.

“At the same time, fuel companies are reminded that any request to waive the Jones Act — a law that is critical to our national and economic security and supports the working people who do the critical work of delivering vital cargo every day — should be made using the standard processes and timelines with which these companies are very familiar,” Drake added.

—Updated Tuesday at 3:36 p.m.