President Donald Trump waived the Jones Act in March, calling it a temporary measure to ease fuel prices after the Iran war cut oil supplies. Prices haven’t fallen, but the market has started recalibrating whether America’s foundational maritime and homeland security law still matters.

For most Americans, this feels new. But for the U.S. offshore marine industry, the segment that builds, supplies, and decommissions offshore energy assets, we have seen this before. For decades, large interests have influenced the enforcement of the law. Consumers rarely notice because profits stay with the profiteers. Now, everyone is paying attention because gas prices aren’t going down.