Americas News
US Congress Members Call for Scrubber Ban
A group of US Congress members has argued for a ban on the use of scrubbers in US waters.
16 Congress members have signed an open letter calling for the Biden administration to issue an executive order on maritime decarbonisation.
The letter makes the following proposals for what measures the executive order could include:
- Use existing Clean Air Act authority to establish a goal-based fuel standard for ships calling on U.S. ports
- Use existing authorities to eliminate in-port ship emissions by 2030
- Immediately establish a monitoring, reporting, and verification mechanism to collect fuel consumption and emissions data from all ships that traverse U.S. waters and use U.S. ports, building a baseline for emissions management
- Direct resources toward the electrification and quieting of the U.S. federal ferry and harbor craft fleet
- Support U.S. shipbuilders and maritime stakeholders to build low- and zero-emission and quiet marine vessels
- Support the development, demonstration, and value chains of zero-emission alternative fuels and technologies for the maritime sector
- Phase out and ban the use of sulfur scrubbers on ships in U.S. waters
"Once again, we thank your Administration for its commitment to addressing the climate crisis and your leadership to ensure the United States is on a path to cutting all greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050," the letter's signatories said.
"Your Administration should now act on that commitment by issuing an Executive Order with specific time-bound actions that will unlock opportunities and innovation for decarbonizing the maritime sector and future-proofing this critical component of our supply chains, while creating and maintaining high-quality jobs and advancing environmental justice."
