[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1414-E1415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF CLEAN CRUISE SHIP ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, many Americans enjoy taking cruises, in 
large part because they get to see some of the Nation's most beautiful 
marine ecosystems. Cruise ships have the potential to bring these 
beautiful locations to many people, but these people also have an 
expectation that the ship that transports them will not damage the 
environments that they are visiting. Because I want to see these 
beautiful marine ecosystems protected for future generations to enjoy, 
I am introducing the Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008.
  The Cruise Ship Industry has experienced much success over the past 
18 years and has been growing at a rate of 5 percent per year. U.S. 
ports handled 8.6 million cruise embarkations which accounted for 75 
percent of global passengers. Unfortunately, as it grows, its potential 
to negatively affect the marine environment grows as well.
  Cruise ships are floating cities, with large cruise ships routinely 
carrying more than

[[Page E1415]]

3,000 passengers and crew. Right now a new 225,000 gross-ton cruise 
ship is being built which will carry 5,400 passengers. This super-sized 
cruise ship is twice the size of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier.
  During a typical 1-week voyage, a large cruise ship (with 3,000 
passengers and crew) is estimated to generate 210,000 gallons of 
sewage; 1 million gallons of graywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, 
and laundries); more than 130 gallons of hazardous wastes; and 8 tons 
of solid waste. A large cruise ship will also generate more than 25,000 
gallons of oily bilge water (oil and chemicals from engine maintenance 
that collect in the bottom of ships and are toxic to marine life).
  We all know what happens when untreated sewage is dumped through 
accident or failure: It damages the environment. Beaches are closed. 
Swimmers and surfers get sick from a number of diseases. Americans have 
come to expect that the sewage they create is regulated and that cities 
will not dump untreated sewage into the water. When sewage spills 
occur, Americans expect that they will be quickly informed and 
protected.
  Isn't it reasonable to think that these ships should be subject to 
the same wastewater regulations as those governing municipalities of 
comparable size? I think so. Is it our responsibility to enact the 
policies which will ensure that these floating cities do not cause 
damage to our marine environment? With 75 percent of the passengers 
going through U.S. ports, it is our duty.
  While many cruise ship companies have environmental policies and 
agreements in place, many are voluntary with no monitoring or 
enforcement provisions. Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with the 
down-side to voluntary agreements. In my district a cruise ship--
breaking its voluntary agreement--illegally discharged 36,000 gallons 
of sewage into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2002.
  Simply put, voluntary agreements between cruise lines and States are 
not enough to ensure protection of our oceans. The public deserves more 
than industry's claims of environmental performance. We need a Federal 
law and we need it now. It's time we strengthen the environmental 
regulations and in so doing, bring these floating cities in line with 
current pollution treatment standards. The Clean Cruise Ship Act of 
2008 is the answer.
  The legislation that I am introducing today has bipartisan support 
and is endorsed by many local and national groups, plugs existing 
loopholes in Federal laws, bans the dumping of wastewater within 12 
miles of shore, bans the dumping of hazardous waste, sewage sludge and 
incinerator ash in U.S. waters, requires ships to treat their 
wastewater wherever they operate, and authorizes broadened inspection 
and enforcement authority.
  Several States including California, Alaska, and Maine, have enacted 
legislation to better regulate various cruise ship wastes--similar to 
the legislation I am introducing today. In fact, I am proud to report 
that California is leading the country in protecting its coastal waters 
from cruise ship pollution.
  Now I would like to mention another way in which ships may damage our 
coasts: aquatic invasive species that slip into our lakes and coastal 
waters in discharged ballast water. Alien species that have escaped 
into U.S. waters are causing massive harm. We have to do everything in 
our power to prevent new invasive species from getting loose. With this 
in mind, many of us have been closely watching court cases surrounding 
the Environmental Protection Agency's responsibility for regulating 
ballast water under the Clean Water Act. That litigation may have 
implications for cruise ship wastewater pollution.
  I do not intend for this bill or these comments to interfere with or 
undermine the provisions of the Clean Water Act that deal with 
discharges of pollution into the Nation's waters. I have always 
supported and continue to support the Clean Water Act. It will continue 
to be an important tool that, in conjunction with the Clean Cruise Ship 
Act, can significantly reduce wastewater pollution from cruise ships.
  Passing the Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008 is one of the ways to 
provide all States with the kinds of ocean and coastal protections that 
the people of California, Alaska, and Maine benefit from. Enacting this 
bill will protect the tourism industry by making sure that the beaches 
and oceans, two of the attractions that make California the most 
visited State in our country, will be protected from cruise ship 
pollution. Simply put, this legislation ensures two things: (1) a 
sustainable future for our oceans, and (2) a sustainable future for the 
cruise and tourism industry.
  This legislation promotes the public interest for all Americans. The 
public expects and deserves clean water--both in our inland waterways 
and in our oceans. The Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008, through its 
discharge regulations, will give the public what it deserves.
  In closing, Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support 
this critically important legislation.

                          ____________________