The CP solves case – the Jones Act’s repeal would create thousands of jobs and boost PR’s economy
Grabow 19 [Colin Grabow; MA in international trade and investment policy from George Washington University; 2-25-19; "New Reports Detail the Jones Act’s Cost to Puerto Rico"; Cato Institute; https://www.cato.org/blog/new-reports-detail-jones-acts-cost-puerto-rico; Accessed 7-18-2023; AW]
The second analysis, meanwhile, took a more comprehensive look at the Jones Act’s impact on Puerto Rico. Produced by John Dunham and Associates, it used a model of international shipping costs for 260 different commodities and compared it against six different estimates of Jones Act shipping cost differentials. After controlling for distance and terminal handling charges the analysis estimated these differentials to range from 89 percent to roughly 30 percent. Using the firm’s recommended model, the analysis finds the Jones Act raises the price of shipping cargo to Puerto Rico by $568.9 million and that prices are $1.1 billion higher than would be the case without the Jones Act. This, in turn, is estimated to mean 13,250 fewer jobs. Were they to exist, such jobs would mean $337.3 million more in wages and over $1.5 billion in increased economic activity. Tax revenue would be $106.4 million higher without the Jones Act. Such costs are significant in almost any context. For a territory with a lower per capita GDP than every U.S. state, high unemployment, and still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Maria, they are even more so.