Garamendi amendment to NDAA passes Senate
An amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by Rep. John Garamendi, DSolano, to ensure full enforcement of the Jones Act and other federal laws in offshore wind development passed in the Senate Friday after previously being approved in the House.
It now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature.
The Jones Act, passed in 1920, regulates maritime commerce in the United States. Garamendi, a former ranking member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, put forth an amendment to clarify that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act — a 1953 law that governs offshore mineral and energy development — also becomes applicable to federal labor, environmental and antitrust regulations to nonfossil fuel energy sources such as wind.
“Offshore wind development will play a critical role in our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy,” Garamendi said in a press statement. “Demand for offshore wind development in U.S. waters remains strong, and Congress has now ensured this burgeoning industry abides by federal laws and regulations affording critical labor, antitrust, and environmental protections, including the Jones Act.”
Garamendi was on the NDAA Conference Committee to help negotiate the final NDAA for the 2021 fiscal year. Support for the amendment also came from Reps. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, and Elaine Luria, DVirginia.
“As the former Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I know how essential American mariners are to our economy and national security,” Garamendi said. “When enacted, my amendment will allow American workers and US-f lagged vessels to help build the offshore wind projects needed to transition our nation to a clean energy economy. I expected this policy to become law this year.”
The conference report, with Garamendi’s amendment, passed in the Senate by a vote of 84-13 with both bipartisan support and dissent. The NDAA is expected to be signed into law this month.