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. The legislation would also require ships to treat their wastewater wherever they operate and authorize broadened enforcement authority. Whistleblower protections for employees who report employers' noncompliance with the legislation are also included.

"As the residents of the Central Coast know from experience, voluntary agreements with cruise ship operators aren't enough to guarantee cruise ships will not dump in sensitive marine environments. Some states like California have already enacted legislation to protect their own waters, and our bill takes the next step of extending that protection to the entire nation's coastline. The ocean is a public trust and it deserves protection by the federal government," said Farr.

"One of the many roles I play in the House is to serve as co-chair of the House Travel and Tourism Caucus and it should be clear that this bill is not an anti-tourism bill. What we're doing here is protecting the beautiful coastlines and ocean waters that draw tourists and thereby ensuring a sustainable future for cruise lines and other tourist businesses," added Farr. Both Californian Senators support this legislation, as well as Reps. Chris Shays, Bart Stupak, Lynn Woolsey, Pete Stark, Tom Allen, Frank Pallone, Loretta Sanchez, Mike Honda and Lois Capps.