Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the majority of California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) waiver request for the Commercial Harbor Craft Rule, including most of the zero-emission requirements.  

This regulation paves the way for zero-emissions harbor craft such as ferries, tugboats and workboats. This rule will significantly improve the air  Californians living by the ports breathe and is yet another action by the state of California to address toxic emissions at the ports. 

“The impacts of toxic emissions from harbor craft are felt along the coasts of California,” said Teresa Bui, Climate Policy Director, Pacific Environment. “We applaud EPA for approving the majority of the waiver so that the California Air Resources Board can get to work and improve air quality for millions of California residents. Ending the use of fossil fuels in ships and moving towards zero-emissions shipping by 2040 is urgent given the impacts of climate change and the health of our portside neighbors. This rule has spurred innovation and we are already seeing the regulation become reality.”

“EPA’s decision to approve the bulk of California’s commercial harbor craft standard will give urgently needed relief to portside communities who breathe in dirty diesel pollution from tugboats, ferries, and other harbor vessels,” said Regina Hsu, senior attorney on Earthjustice’s Right To Zero campaign. “This standard will gradually shift these boats to zero-emissions over the coming years. Now, other states with ports should take a keen look at this life-saving rule and consider adopting it to protect their own residents.”

According to CARB, this rule will save 530 California lives and protect 9.7 million Californians from elevated levels of air pollution. Frontline Black and brown communities have been bearing the brunt of pollution for far too long and moving to zero-emissions ferries and away from diesel and other toxic fossil fuels would clear the air for port neighbors.

“This is a victory for the ocean, clean air, and all Californians,” said Caroline Bonfield, Ocean Conservancy’s U.S. policy manager for shipping emissions. “Harbor craft are one of the largest sources of toxic diesel pollution, and these fumes plague our ocean, drive climate change, and seriously harm the health of people living near ports. We are pleased to see the EPA take action and approve the majority of the waiver; and now more than ever, we hope that this action from California can serve as a model for other states as we continue to fight to clean up the shipping industry.”

Continuing its effort to limit emissions for vessels operating in the state’s ports and near the coast, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved updates to its Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation in March 2022 designed to reduce diesel soot and nitrogen oxides emission from commercial harbor craft including tugboats and ferries, but the agency was awaiting the final waiver from EPA to move forward with enforcement of the rule. 

“California is home to our nation’s busiest ports, making this approval from EPA a critical step forward in cleaning up pollution from boats,” said Yassi Kavezade, Senior Campaign Advisor for Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “Every day, boats spew toxic diesel exhaust and harm communities near these harbors; shockingly, harbor boats are a major source of cancer for Californians living near the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and Oakland. The Commercial Harbor Craft regulation is a science-based standard that will protect our communities, advance environmental justice, fight pollution in our skies and waters, unlock clean energy investments, and create green jobs.” 

In California, harbor crafts are the one of the top three cancer causing emissions at the port of Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles. Long Beach and Los Angeles port-adjacent communities, including West Long Beach, Wilmington and San Pedro, already experience up to eight years lower life expectancy than the Los Angeles County average. “This is a necessary step to protect our communities’ health and repair some of the damage caused,” said Dori Chandler, Policy Advocate with the Coalition for Clean Air. 

According to the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, Black Long Beach residents are hospitalized with asthma at eight times the rate of white residents, and Latinx residents at twice the rate of white residents, who live further from the Port. Globally, 265,000 premature deaths were projected for 2020 attributable to global shipping-sourced emissions.

“This decision represents a critical step in addressing the severe air quality challenges faced by California’s port communities, which have long borne the brunt of pollution from commercial shipping and harbor operations. By enabling the state to enforce stricter zero-emission standards, this move not only alleviates the environmental and health burdens on these vulnerable communities but also reinforces California’s leadership in advancing a comprehensive transition to a zero-emission transportation sector,” said Gracyna Mohabir, Clean Air & Energy Regulatory Advocate with California Environmental Voters.

Thanks to CARB’s harbor craft regulation, in June, Crowley, ABB Marine, CARB Board Member Takvorian, and others christened the first fully electric tugboat in the U.S. at the Port of San Diego. And in July, the first hydrogen fuel cell ferry in the world launched at the Port of San Francisco. 

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About Pacific Environment

Pacific Environment works to stop climate change and ensure healthy ecosystems around the Pacific Rim for the benefit of people and our planet. We campaign to stop climate change by working to fast-track key industries toward zero carbon emissions. We focus on major global industries that have received less public attention but whose carbon emissions are significant and still growing: the maritime shipping and the petrochemical (plastics) industries.