July 08, 2025

“Balsa Update: Springtime in DC” by Zvi

19 minutes

Today's post is an update from my contractor at Balsa Research, Jennifer Chen. I offer guidance and make strategic choices, but she's the one who makes the place run. Among all the other crazy things that have been happening lately, we had to divert some time from our Jones Act efforts to fight against some potentially far more disastrous regulations that got remarkably close to happening.

Springtime in DC for Balsa, by Jennifer Chen

What if, in addition to restricting all domestic waterborne trade to U.S.-built, U.S-flagged vessels, we also required the same of 20% of all U.S. exports?

In late February this year, Balsa Research got word that this was a serious new proposal coming out of the USTR, with public comments due soon and public hearings not much longer after that.

The glaring problem with this proposal was that there were fewer than one hundred oceangoing ships [...]

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Outline:

(00:33) Springtime in DC for Balsa, by Jennifer Chen

(03:35) Why was no one else talking about this?

(07:27) How Likely Did We Think This Was Going to be Enacted?

(08:50) Okay, Balsa Should Do Something

(10:07) Balsa at the USTR Public Hearings

(12:34) Did Balsa... Do Anything?

(13:50) Should Balsa Continue to Do Things?

(15:26) Balsa Research is Once More 100% Focused on Jones Act Reform

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First published:

July 8th, 2025

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tiwjxgGSxSysHzAuc/balsa-update-springtime-in-dc

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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By zvi

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