U.S. House Passes Meehan Measure to Create Jobs in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Meehan Blocks America’s Cup Yacht Bill Until PA Job-Creating Measures Added

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed Congressman Patrick Meehan’s (PA-07) proposal to re-flag three natural gas transport ships, a change that will allow hundreds of energy and construction jobs to be created in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Meehan successfully fought to add three ships to H.R. 3321, the America’s Cup Act, which was abruptly introduced this week to allow foreign yachts to enter United States’ ports for the sailing competition. Meehan blocked a fast-track voice vote on the bill in the House unless the job-creating provisions allowing the natural gas transport ships to enter Philadelphia were added. Meehan has been fighting for these provisions all year, and he successfully inserted them into the Coast Guard authorization bill, but the bill had not yet come to the floor for a House vote.

“There was no way I was going to allow for foreign yacht owners what was being denied to working families in southeastern Pennsylvania,” Meehan said. “Allowing these ships into Philadelphia will spur economic development for a region and an industry of workers still reeling from the possibility of losing our refineries. The House and Senate now need to come to agreement on a final bill that we can get to the President as soon as possible.”

It is estimated this measure will create 300 to 400 construction jobs and 25 full-time jobs at a natural gas terminal in Marcus Hook.

As amended by Meehan, H.R. 3321 grants Coast Guard certification to three foreign-flagged ships to transport Marcellus Shale natural gas from Philadelphia to the Gulf Coast for further processing. The certification was necessary because of a 90-year-old law called the Jones Act, which prohibits non-U.S. flagged vessels traveling between two domestic ports. These transport ships were built in America but re-registered outside of the United States some years ago for other uses. These ships will now be used to support energy jobs in Philadelphia.

H.R. 3321 passed by an overwhelming 387-2 margin. A similar version of the bill passed the Senate yesterday after Senator Pat Toomey (PA) blocked the America’s Cup bill in that chamber until the job-creating provisions for Pennsylvania were added. Now the two chambers must come to agreement on a final version to send to the President.