New bill aims to reduce air pollution from shipping as ports see record cargo levels
The Clean Shipping Act, introduced by Congressman Alan Lowenthal, would set stricter carbon emission standards for fuels used by ships.
The Clean Shipping Act, introduced by Congressman Alan Lowenthal, would set stricter carbon emission standards for fuels used by ships.
At stake is the health of millions of people who live near California’s refineries, ports, freeways and other sources of tiny, lung-damaging particles, gases that form smog and trigger asthma attacks, and toxic air pollutants linked to cancer.
The rules apply to some 300 pieces of combustion equipment at the facilities such as boilers and gas turbines.
The Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area again ranked as the most ozone-polluted region in the nation, joining six other California areas on the list of the 10 worst cities for ozone in the United States, according to an American Lung Association report released Wednesday.
Highway traffic is down by more than half since the start of the pandemic, according to official tallies, and emissions that form smog and soot have been reduced by about the same amount in parts of the state.
To be brought into the U.S. legally, any engines or vehicles must be certified by the EPA, which checks to make sure the meet federal emissions standards.
The order bans burning wood or manufactured fire logs in fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device.