When Congress enacted H.R.7776, the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23 NDAA), it included several provisions that addressed the requirements for so-called discretionary waivers of...more
In response to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, on 16 June 2022, the U.S. Congress enacted the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA) to increase the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission...more
In honor of World Oceans Day, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) reintroduced legislation aimed at addressing the ocean impacts of climate change and reforming federal ocean management to better...more
Mitigating the negative effects of climate change has been a signature issue of the Biden Administration, and if Thursday morning’s hearing on the decarbonization of the maritime industry is any indication, it will also be a...more
Lawmakers have scheduled their first oversight hearing on the issue of decarbonization in the maritime industry. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Transportation is slated...more
As the Biden Administration finds its stride in the first 100 days, we are starting to see movement on several of its key priorities. Chief among them: pivoting to a clean energy economy. A campaign that promised investments...more
Last January, policy professionals from our K&L Gates Maritime Group published a long list of their predictions for the year ahead. This year we are coming back with one major prediction: In the next four years, issues...more
On Tuesday, 20 October, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020,...more
The Jones Act is the foundational law of the American maritime industry, and compliance with it is essential whether you are a vessel operator in the U.S. domestic trades or a foreign operator serving the U.S. market. The...more
K&L Gates maritime professionals work at the intersection of the U.S. federal government and the maritime business. We asked some of them for their predictions about the year ahead regarding the Trump administration, the...more
In December 2019, the U.S. Congress managed to defy expectations and enact several pieces of significant legislation....more
On Tuesday evening, the House passed S. 140, the vehicle for reauthorization of the U.S. Coast Guard, unanimously by voice vote. The bill’s passage marks a successful compromise in a protracted struggle over the legislation’s...more
After a whirlwind midterm election night, the results are (mostly) in. The Republicans increased their majority in the Senate with wins in Indiana, North Dakota, and Missouri (and are leading in Florida) while losing only...more
The massive public attention focused on the Jones Act in Puerto Rico immediately after Hurricane Maria was eerily analogous to the public spotlight on the law during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (the “Gulf Spill”) in the...more
Recent decisions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of Treasury have increased the prospects for regular air and vessel service to and from Cuba. Those decisions do not open the floodgates for...more
6/12/2015
/ Aviation Industry ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Coast Guard ,
Cuba ,
Licensing Rules ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ports ,
Shipping ,
Trade Relations ,
Travelers ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Vessels ,
Visas
On February 25, 2015, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) published two final policy letters on the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Released in draft form in February 2014, the policy letters address...more