In the latest sign that environmental policies originating in California inevitably stretch beyond our borders, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have introduced a bill aiming to dramatically clean up ship emissions at all U.S. ports, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
Citing as an example the poor air quality around the Long Beach-Los Angeles harbor complex, California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein introduced the bill last week.
It seeks to slash by 90 percent emissions of sulfur oxides from ships no later than December 2010.
The bill comes in the wake of last year’s landmark initiative by the ports – the Clean Air Action Plan – to reduce deadly pollution from harbor ships, trucks, locomotives and yard equipment.
The veteran Democrats are aiming to limit the use of bunker fuel burned by container ships, tankers and cruise ships calling at American seaports.
