The White House released a speech by President Bush where he stated that, as part of the government’s efforts to assist in relief from Hurricane Katrina, he has instructed Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff to temporarily waive the requirement that oil and gasoline be transported from one U.S. port to another via U.S. coastwise-qualified ships.
President Bush said in his speech yesterday,
“Another challenge we face is that the downed pipelines are causing the need to transport gasoline to needed markets by ship. Under current law, shipping between American ports can only take place on American ships, and there are currently not enough American ships to move the oil and gasoline to where it's needed. So today I've instructed Secretary of Homeland Security Chairman Chertoff to temporarily waive this requirement, so
foreign ships can also help distribute oil and gasoline to where it's needed. Today's action will further help us move gasoline to accommodate the demands of the American citizens. “
The details of how this instruction will be implemented and the duration of this waiver have not yet been revealed.