Conference 

# The Jones Act: Charting a New Course after a Century of Failure 

##### Watch the Event 

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Date and Time 

December 6, 2018 9 AM - 5 PM EST 

Location 

Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute 

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##### Featuring 

[![Dan_Griswold_cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-02/Dan_Griswold_cropped.jpg?itok=mEktjV9Y)](/people/daniel-griswold) 

[Daniel Griswold](/people/daniel-griswold)

Adjunct Scholar

[ 

](https://twitter.com/danielgriswold) 

[![Colin Grabow](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Colin%20Grabow.jpg?itok=pNkGPWw4)](/people/colin-grabow) 

[Colin Grabow](/people/colin-grabow)

Associate Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies

[ 

](https://x.com/cpgrabow) 

Manuel Reyes 

Bryan Riley 

James W. Coleman 

Jennifer Danner Riccardi 

Ted Loch-Temzelides 

[![Daniel J. Ikenson](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Dan%20Ikenson.jpg?itok=mP30bIXr)](/people/daniel-j-ikenson) 

[Daniel J. Ikenson](/people/daniel-j-ikenson)

Former Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies

![Steve Ellis_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2025-09/Steve%20Ellis_cropped.jpg?itok=WnHCVcag) 

Steve Ellis 

President of Taxpayers of Common Sense

Nick Loris 

Robert Quartel 

[![Media Name: preble.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/authors/crops/preble.jpg?itok=2y52zSuL)](/people/christopher-preble) 

[Christopher A. Preble](/people/christopher-preble)

Former Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies; Senior Fellow, Stimson Center 

[ 

](https://twitter.com/capreble) 

Keliʻi Akina 

Thomas Grennes 

Professor of Economics Emeritus, North Carolina State University

Howard Gutman 

Michael Hansen 

[![Inu Manak](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Inu%20Manuk.jpg?itok=8bgu-vN2)](/people/inu-manak) 

[Inu Manak](/people/inu-manak)

Fellow for Trade Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

[ 

](https://twitter.com/inumanak) 

George Landrith 

Brett Fortnam 

For nearly 100 years the Jones Act has restricted the transportation of cargo between two points in the United States to ships that are U.S.-built, crewed, owned, and flagged. Meant to bolster the U.S. maritime industry and provide a ready supply of ships and mariners in times of conflict, the act has instead presided over a steady deterioration in the number of ships, sailors to crew them, and shipyards to build them. While failing to provide its promised benefits, the law has imposed a huge economic burden that manifests itself in various ways, ranging from higher transportation costs to increased traffic and pollution. This full-day conference examines these costs in greater detail, discusses the validity of the Jones Act’s national security argument, and evaluates options for reform.

Each conference participant has contributed an essay to discuss various aspects of the Jones Act. These essays will be [available here](https://www.cato.org/the-jones-act-charting-a-new-course-online-forum) to read and share.

Stay up to date about the Jones Act: [Cato’s Project on Jones Act Reform](https://www.cato.org/project-on-jones-act-reform) | [Subscribe to the Jones Act Gazette](https://www.cato.org/jones-act-gazette)

### Schedule

| 8:30–9:00AM | **Registration** |
|:--|:--|
| 9:00–9:15AM | **Opening Remarks** [**Peter Goettler**](https://www.cato.org/people/peter-goettler), President & CEO, Cato Institute |
| 9:15–10:30AM | **Session I: The Jones Act: A Burden America Can No Longer Bear** **Daniel Griswold**, Senior Research Fellow & Co-Director of Trade and Immigration, Mercatus Center **Manuel Reyes**, Executive Vice-President/CEO, Puerto Rico Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution Chamber (MIDA) **Bryan Riley**, Director, Free Trade Initiative, National Taxpayers Union Moderator: [**Colin Grabow**](https://www.cato.org/people/colin-grabow), Policy Analyst, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute [Download the Video of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cc-12-06-18-01.mp4) [Download the Podcast of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cca-12-06-18-01.mp3) [Transcript for “Session I: The Jones Act: A Burden America Can No Longer Bear”](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pdfs/jones-act-session-1.pdf) |
| 10:30–10:45AM | **Break** |
| 10:45AM–Noon | **Session II: The Economic Costs of the Jones Act** **James W. Coleman**, Professor, Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University **Jennifer Danner Riccardi**, Senior Trade Advisor, Delegation of the European Union to the United States **Ted Loch-Temzelides**, Professor of Economics, Rice University Moderator: [**Daniel J. Ikenson**](https://www.cato.org/people/daniel-ikenson), Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute [Download the Video of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cc-12-06-18-02.mp4) [Download the Podcast of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cca-12-06-18-02.mp3) [Transcript for “Session II: The Economic Costs of the Jones Act”](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pdfs/jones-act-session-2.pdf) |
| Noon–1:15PM | **Lunch** |
| 1:15–2:30PM | **Session III: National Security and the Maritime Industry** **Steve Ellis**, Executive Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense **Nick Loris**, Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy, Center for Free Markets and Regulatory Reform, Heritage Foundation **Rob Quartel**, CEO & Chairman, NTELX Moderator: [**Christopher A. Preble**](https://www.cato.org/people/christopher-preble), Vice President, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute [Download the Video of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cc-12-06-18-03.mp4) [Download the Podcast of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cca-12-06-18-03.mp3) [Transcript for “Session III: National Security and the Maritime Industry”](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pdfs/jones-act-session-3.pdf) |
| 2:30–2:45PM | **Break** |
| 2:45–4:00PM | **Session IV: Charting a New Course: Options for Jones Act Reform** **Keliʻi Akina**, President & CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii **Thomas Grennes**, Professor of Economics Emeritus, North Carolina State University **Howard Gutman**, Former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Managing Director, the Gutman Group **Michael Hansen**, President, Hawaii Shippers Council Moderator: [**Inu Manak**](https://www.cato.org/people/inu-manak), Visiting Scholar, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute [Download the Video of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cc-12-06-18-04.mp4) [Download the Podcast of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cca-12-06-18-04.mp3) [Transcript for “Session IV: Charting a New Course: Options for Jones Act Reform”](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pdfs/jones-act-session-4.pdf) |
| 4:00–5:00PM | **Session V: Debate** **George Landrith**, President & CEO, Frontiers of Freedom **Rob Quartel**, CEO & Chairman, NTELX Moderator: **Brett Fortnam**, *Inside U.S. Trade* [Download the Video of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cc-12-06-18-05.mp4) [Download the Podcast of the Event](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2018/cca-12-06-18-05.mp3) [Transcript for “Session V: Debate”](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pdfs/jones-act-debate-transcript.pdf) |
| 5:00–6:00PM | **Reception** |

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