[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 100 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2031-S2033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
        Booker, and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 1917. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to provide for the 
establishment of standards to limit the carbon intensity of the fuel 
used by certain vessels, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Clean Shipping 
Act of 2023. This legislation aims to reduce harmful emissions from 
ocean going vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent 
of Americans who live within 3 miles of a port.
  Globally, maritime shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas 
emissions, emitting an estimated 1 billion tons of GHG emissions per 
year and roughly 3 percent of total anthropogenic global-warming 
carbon-dioxide

[[Page S2033]]

emissions. According to the International Maritime Organization, global 
shipping emissions could more than double between 2018 and 2050.
  That is why the United States signed two shipping declarations at 
COP26 to call for zero-emission fuels on international commercial 
vessels by 2030 and the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes 
by the middle of the 2020 decade.
  This legislation would set a path to eliminate greenhouse gas 
emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United 
States.
  The Clean Shipping Act will help reduce emissions consistent with the 
goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees 
Celsius, protect air quality and public health for near-port 
communities, reduce climate pollution emissions from large marine 
vessels that call on U.S. ports, and ensure that the global maritime 
sector reduces, while providing the EPA with the flexibility needed to 
ensure smooth implementation.
  The bill would direct the EPA to set progressively tighter carbon 
intensity standards for fuels used by ships consistent with a 1.5 deg.C 
decarbonization pathway, and to eliminate in-port ship emissions by 
2030 for all ships at-berth or at-anchor in U.S. ports.
  Importantly, this legislation is supported by global industry leaders 
and environmental advocates and will ensure that the global maritime 
sector reducesemissions consistent with the Paris Agreement, while 
providing the EPA with the flexibility needed to ensure smooth 
implementation.
  More than 90 percent of global trade is transported by oceangoing 
vessels, which produce an estimated 3 percent of global anthropogenic 
emissions, yet these emissions are unregulated in the United States.
  The International Maritime Organization's Intersessional Working 
Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships plans to meet at the 
end of the month.
  This bill would send a strong signal of our commitment to our 
international partners, empower the EPA to set standards to reduce 
harmful pollution in accordance with our national and international 
climate goals, provide certainty to the global shipping industry, and 
catalyze research and development to transition oceangoing vessels that 
rely on diesel engines.
  This bill enjoys the support of environmentalists and industry 
stakeholders alike who recognize the urgent need to reduce emissions 
from the shipping sector.
  I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Robert Garcia 
and Nanette Barragan for championing this bill in the House.
  I Look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Clean 
Shipping Act as quickly as possible.

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