House Passes Oberstar-Cummings Bill to Reduce Polluting Emissions From Ships
Press Release
Today, the House of Representatives passed the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2007, H.R. 802, sponsored by Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. The bill passed by a vote of 359 to 48.
H.R. 802 would institute the legal changes needed to bring the United States into compliance with International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention) Annex VI. MARPOL Annex VI limits the emissions from ships of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, which are ozone depleting substances. The Annex VI treaty was ratified by the Senate in April 2006 and came into force internationally in May 2006.
Chairman Cummings, who served as the floor manager of the measure during debate on the floor, released the following statement.
"As the Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I am pleased that the first piece of maritime legislation to be brought to the floor by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a bill that will enable us to combat pollution emitted by ships.
"The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that ocean-going ships transport 80 percent by weight of all goods and services moved into and out of the United States - and the volume of trade through U.S. ports is only expected to increase.
"Unfortunately, the ships on which we rely on to carry the trade that keeps our economy growing release excessive amounts of pollution. In fact, according to a very disturbing study released just last week by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the sulfur oxide emissions from ocean-going ships may exceed the total amount of such emissions produced by all the cars, trucks, and buses in the world.
"Further, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that as much as 80 percent of all ship emissions may be released within 250 miles of shore. That means that much of the pollution emitted by ships is affecting the residents of port communities, such as my hometown of Baltimore.
"The emissions of sulfur oxides from ships are so high because the bunker fuel used in ships may contain as much as 3% sulfur content by weight - or an astounding 28,000 parts per million of sulfur.
"By comparison, the new ultra low sulfur diesel fuel that is mandated for use in trucks in most of the United States is not allowed to contain more than 15 parts per million of sulfur.
"Given the nature of shipping, it is not possible for any single nation to unilaterally regulate emissions produced by ships.
"Instead, regulations applied to ocean-going vessels are usually developed through negotiations conducted by the IMO, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for developing multi-national conventions regulating international shipping.
"The member states of the IMO developed the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships treaty, known as MARPOL, which was adopted in 1973. This groundbreaking convention has already successfully limited oil pollution and pollution from ships' garbage and sewage.
"The most recent annex to the MARPOL convention, Annex VI, sets limits on emissions from ships of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide. This Annex also establishes specific limits on the sulfur content of fuel oil used in ships.
"I applaud Chairman Oberstar for his outstanding leadership on this issue - and for his commitment to implementing measures that will help us combat the release of emissions from mobile sources that are contributing to global warming.
"I now urge the Senate to quickly consider and pass the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2007, H.R. 802, so that through our participation in Annex VI, the U.S. can contribute to a global effort to control a large source of ozone depleting emissions that has been virtually unregulated to this point."
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