American Pride, a US-flagged tanker owned by American Petroleum Tankers, moored at Kinder Morgan Terminal in Charleston Harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, on August 6, 2025. The Jones Act’s 2026 waiver has temporarily allowed foreign-flagged vessels to carry fuel between US ports, reshaping domestic energy flows. (Shutterstock/Daniel Wright98)

Why the Jones Act’s Temporary Waiver Was Renewed Again

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The waiver unleashed a surge in domestic fuel shipments, revealing how the Jones Act constrains US energy flows.

The temporary waiver to the Jones Act, which began on March 17, 2026, has caused a sea change in maritime movements of crude oil and fuel between US producing and consuming regions. The Jones Act limits shipping within US ports to ships that are US-built, US-owned, US-flagged, and US-crewed. As a result, few ships move between American ports.

Among the measures taken to soften the resulting fuel-supply disruption in the United States was a temporary waiver of the Jones Act, first granted for 60 days on March 17, 2026, then extended an additional 90 days on May 18. 

With the temporary waiver set to expire, its renewal, with narrower criteria, was announced on August 9, 2026, with the waiver’s expiration set for November 14, 2026.

Here’s why the United States just extended the........

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