Cruise Lines Lobby Against N. America SECA
Cruise ship industry lobbies Congress to relax forthcoming North America SECA exhaust gas emission restrictions
The cruise-ship industry, wants an emissions-averaging plan that would allow it to burn the same heavy fuel it always has used in some areas, and it's lobbying Congress for help, according to a report in the Merced Sun-Star. Cruise Lines International Association has proposed a complicated emissions-averaging plan that would allow ships to continue to burn high-sulfur fuel sometimes.
Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/05/01/2329561/cruise-ship-industry-fights-cleaner.html#storylink=cpy
The industry's lobby group in Washington has gotten Democratic and Republican lawmakers to press the Environmental Protection Agency to look favorably on the industry's averaging plan. The EPA is pushing back, saying the industry's plan would lead to an increase in emissions. For now, the EPA is unyielding, but pressure is building.
The emissions-control area goes into effect in August and requires fuel with less sulfur inside the zone, with reductions phased in through 2015. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed to the approach in 2006.