The industry generates nearly $10 billion for the Pacific Northwest economy, according to a Transportation Institute study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Domestic maritime jobs created in the state of Washington have grown by 34% since 2014, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the Transportation Institute.
The domestic maritime industry employs more than 22,500 people, produces $6.12 for the local economy and generates more than $1.5 billion in worker income in Washington, which ranks sixth among states for jobs and income relating to the Jones Act, the study found. Regionally, the industry employs nearly 37,600 people, supports $2.5 billion in worker income and produces nearly $10 billion for the Pacific Northwest economy.
“The Jones Act is a juggernaut when it comes to helping us, and we are not talking about a relic, but a key tool in growing our economy for the future,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Friday at the Seattle Maritime Festival Breakfast.
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, requires goods transported between U.S. ports be moved by ships built, owned and operated by American citizens or permanent residents.
President Donald Trump reportedly considered granting Puerto Rico a waiver to the requirement to use U.S.-flag vessels to transport liquefied natural gas from U.S. ports to the island. But Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the president told lawmakers during a meeting earlier this month “he was going to oppose any changes to the Jones Act and any waivers,” according to Reuters.
A PwC study released in March found the domestic maritime industry employs nearly 650,000 Americans and contributes $154 billion annually to the country’s economic growth.
American Maritime Partnership held a similar event in Florida in March as it did last week in the Pacific Northwest to tout the industry’s growth in the Sunshine State. Florida experienced a 25% growth in jobs and employs nearly 66,000 people in the industry, which ranks behind only Louisiana for the number of jobs.