A powerful lobby is more in interested in protecting its monopoly than lessening congestion and pollution.
"For many Americans, the experience of driving on a coastal highway like Interstate 5 in California can be a nightmare of dodging massive trucks hauling cargo between US cities," reports Erik Olsen.
According to Olsen, only 2 percent of domestic freight moving among the Lower 48 states moves by sea, despite the fact that about half the population lives near the coast.
The reason so much freight moves on the nation's roadways is the subject of Olsen's article, and credit goes to the Jones Act. The Jones Act, passed shortly after World War I, "preserves a monopoly for US-built, owned and operated ships to transport goods between US ports."
According to Olsen, the law was designed to protect American shipbuilding and "ensure that the US had ample ships to conduct international trade." The law didn't manage to protect the industry, however, and now "there are some 171 privately-owned US flagged ships today. Just 93 of them are Jones Act-eligible."
Thus, the consequences of the Jones Act in 2017 include higher costs for consumer goods as well as more freight on trucks. The latter, according to Olsen, "significantly increasing highways congestion, intensifying air pollution and further degrading the country’s infrastructure."
Olsen provides additional details about the consequences of the Jones Act, and discusses the business interests that have made the law virtually impossible to overturn.
FULL STORY: An arcane American law protected by powerful interests is causing insane traffic jams
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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