Biden admin grants Colonial waiver to ease fuel shortages

By Rebecca Falconer @ Axios.com, updated 1 hr. ago

The Biden administration approved a temporary waiver of shipping requirements late Wednesday to help Colonial Pipeline transport fuel, as service resumes across the U.S. following a ransomware attack that that took it offline last week.

Why it matters: The century-old Jones Act requires ships to be built in the U.S. and crewed by American workers, but the waiver means foreign companies can transport gasoline and diesel to areas where there are fuel shortages.

• Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorka's waiver "will enable the transport of additional gas and jet fuel between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease supply constraints," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement early Thursday.
• At least 11 states and Washington, D.C., have reported gas shortages since last Friday's hack.

What they're saying: "As supplies return to normal, we will also continue our whole-of-government effort to mitigate any challenges," Psaki said, pointing to actions by agencies including the EPA, the Department of Transportation (DoT) and the Department of Energy, and President Biden's executive order to improve cybersecurity [....]