Washington D.C.— Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), June 8 introduced the Clean Shipping Act of 2023, which would set a path to eliminate greenhouse gas or GHG emissions from all ocean shipping companies that do business with the United States. The bill aims to clean up the shipping industry, protect the health of port communities, address environmental injustice and provide solutions to the climate crisis by giving the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate carbon intensity standards for maritime fuel. Technological pathways exist to make this possible.
Global emissions from all vessels account for about 3% of total GHG emissions each year; if international shipping was its own country, it would rank sixth on the list of largest GHG emitters globally.
The American Lung Association has found that the Los Angeles metropolitan area has among the worst smog pollution in the nation – and some of the worst air pollution, overall. A major contributor to this crisis is emissions from ocean vessels that operate out of the Ports of LA and Long Beach.
The bill is endorsed by the Sierra Club, Pacific Environment, Ocean Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Friends of the Earth, and GreenLatinos.
Details: Find the full text of the bill here, https://tinyurl.com/Clean-Shipping-Act