US Congress members urge Biden to issue EO to back shipping decarbonization

Fifteen members of the U.S. Congress, led by Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, have urged President Joe Biden to issue an executive order (EO) to support the decarbonization of the maritime industry.

In a letter sent to President Biden, the members wrote “we want to thank you for leadership in addressing the global climate crisis and for the actions you have already taken to make sure that the United States cuts all greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050″. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are projected to increase, and it’s critical that the federal government take action to reduce emissions and address the pollution impacts that shipping has on environmental justice communities, it was stated.

They added: “We now ask that you build on these commitments by issuing an Executive Order to spark innovation and open opportunities for decarbonizing the maritime sector and future-proof this critical component of our supply chains. We strongly urge your Administration to make this Executive Order effective, actionable, and equitable by including specific, time-bound actions and creating and maintaining high-quality jobs and advancing environmental justice.”

The letter includes several recommendations that the president should include in an executive order to help decarbonize the maritime industry.

First of all, the president was called to use existing Clean Air Act authority to establish a goal-based fuel standard for ships calling on U.S. ports, as well as to use the existing authorities to eliminate in-port ship emissions by 2030.

In February this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the $3 billion Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to tackle the climate crisis and improve air quality at U.S. ports.

The Clean Ports Program is designed to help ports across the country transition to fully zero-emissions operations, serving as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector. 

The members also urged for immediate establishment of 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.

Furthermore, they called for the support of U.S. shipbuilders and maritime stakeholders to build low- and zero-emission and quiet marine vessels, and support the development, demonstration, and value chains of zero-emission alternative fuels and technologies for the maritime sector.

In the end, President Biden was called to phase out and ban the use of sulfur scrubbers on ships in U.S. waters.

Recently, Denmark prohibited the discharge of scrubber water from ships into the marine environment within 22 kilometers of the Danish coasts. Sweden also decided to go ahead with introducing a scrubber ban within the country’s waters.

“The Biden administration has already made significant commitments to eliminate emissions from the shipping industry, but there is more that can be done immediately through executive action,” said Carrie Bonfield, Ocean Conservancy’s U.S. Policy Manager, Shipping Emissions.  

“With the support of 60 organizations, eight industry organizations, over 24,000 members of the public and now members of Congress, we urge the Biden administration to issue an executive order with these seven recommendations immediately. There is no time to waste: we must get to work eliminating emissions from the maritime sector if we are to meet our climate goals and protect the public from these harmful pollutants. We thank Representative Barragan and all the Congressional leaders who joined on this letter calling for President Biden to issue an executive order on shipping decarbonization.”