Barragán Leads Letter to Urging President Biden to Issue Executive Order to Reduce Pollution from the Maritime Industry

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) July 18 led 15 Members of Congress in a letter to President Biden, urging his administration to issue an Executive Order to support the decarbonization of the maritime industry. Greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are projected to increase, and it’s critical that the federal government take action to reduce emissions and address the pollution impacts that shipping has on environmental justice communities. 

The Members wrote “We want to thank you for leadership in addressing the global climate crisis and for the actions you have already taken to make sure that the United States cuts all greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. We now ask that you build on these commitments by issuing an Executive Order to spark innovation and open opportunities for decarbonizing the maritime sector and future-proof this critical component of our supply chains. We strongly urge your Administration to make this Executive Order effective, actionable, and equitable by including specific, time-bound actions and creating and maintaining high-quality jobs and advancing environmental justice.”

The letter includes several recommendations that the president should include in an Executive Order to help decarbonize the maritime industry:

• Use existing Clean Air Act authority to establish a goal-based fuel standard for ships calling on U.S. ports.
• Use existing authorities to eliminate in-port ship emissions by 2030.
• Immediately establish a monitoring, reporting, and verification mechanism to collect fuel consumption and emissions data from all ships that traverse U.S. waters and use U.S. ports, building a baseline for emissions management.
• Direct resources toward the electrification and quieting of the U.S. federal ferry and harbor craft fleet.
• Support U.S. shipbuilders and maritime stakeholders to build low- and zero-emission and quiet marine vessels.
• Support the development, demonstration, and value chains of zero-emission alternative fuels and technologies for the maritime sector.
• Phase out and ban the use of sulfur scrubbers on ships in U.S. waters.

Details: Full text of the letter is available here.