Farr and Durbin Introduce Clean Cruise Ship Act
Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation in both houses of Congress to help protect the oceans from damage caused in the event of cruise ship pollution. "Every week a typical 3,000 passenger cruise ship generates over a million gallons of raw sewage, gray water and oily bilge water and at the moment it is legal for them to dump this waste almost anywhere in the ocean," said Farr during a press conference to announce the bill. The legislation, known in the House as H.R. 4101, the Clean Cruise Ship Act, closes existing loopholes in federal law by creating a 12 mile-wide coastal zone in which cruise ships are prohibited from dumping.
Port Controversy Continues
The controversy over the planned acquisition of six port facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans by UAE-based Dubai Ports World (DPW) continues apace. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) issued a Press Release stating that he is asking the Administration to delay the acquisition until a detailed briefing is provided. Representative Chris Shays (R-CT) is seeking a new thorough federal review of the acquisition. Representative Clay Shaw (R-FL) plans to introduce legislation aimed at preventing foreign entities from operating U.S seaports. Meanwhile, the White House released remarks made by President Bush defending the Administration’s decision to not block the acquisition.
Lawmakers Push for Thorough Review
Last Monday, a $6.8 billion dollar deal put the operation and control of the major New York and New Jersey ports in the control of a firm in the United Arab Emirates and owned by the Government of Dubai, Dubai Ports World. Today, Senators Chuck Schumer, Tom Coburn, Frank Lautenberg, and Chris Dodd are being joined by Reps. Chris Shays, Vito Fossella and Mark Foley in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow urging him to review the deal immediately. The deal allows the UAE company to take control of most operations at six ports on the East Coast, including: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.
