Environmental Protection Online
U.S. Wants Emissions Control Area to Halt Ship Air Pollution
April 1, 2009
The United States has asked the International Maritime Organization to create an emissions control area (ECA) around the nation’s coastline, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on March 30 at a joint news conference with the Coast Guard and New Jersey elected officials.
According to EPA data, the creation of an ECA would save up to 8,300 American and Canadian lives every year by 2020 by imposing stricter standards on oil tankers and other large ships that release harmful emissions into the air near coastal communities. The United States is proposing a 230-mile buffer zone around the nation’s coastline in order to provide air quality benefits as far inland as Kansas.
“This is an important – and long overdue – step in our efforts to protect the air and water along our shores, and the health of the people in our coastal communities,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We want to ensure the economic strength of our port cities at the same time that we take responsible steps to protect public health and the environment in the United States and across the globe.”
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said, “We have known for a long time that our families that live around ports have a higher rate of respiratory illness, including cancer. EPA’s announcement today is music to my ears because it means the United States is stepping forward to take a strong leadership role on clean air around ports.”
Source: http://www.eponline.com/articles/71482
