[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 119 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA:
  S. 2261. 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. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Clean 
Shipping Act of 2025. This bill aims to reduce harmful emissions from 
oceangoing vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent of 
Americans that 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 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 
b the middle of the 2020 decade.
  This bill would establish a pathway to eliminate greenhouse gas 
emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United 
States. It would protect air quality and public health in near-port 
communities, reduce climate pollution from large marine vessels calling 
on U.S. ports, and ensure the global maritime sector cuts emissions--
all while giving the EPA the flexibility needed for 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 want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Sheldon Whitehouse 
and Congressman Robert Garcia, for reintroducing this bill with me. I 
look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Clean Shipping 
Act of 2025 as quickly as possible.
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