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Cruise ship emissions restrictions ahead
by Nathan Eagle - THE GARDEN ISLAND
HONOLULU — After Niumalu residents repeatedly raised concerns over cruise ship pollution, a bill to regulate how much bunker fuel the large vessels can burn at Nawiliwili Harbor edged forward yesterday at the state Capitol.
Community members and industry executives testified on the proposed legislation before the Senate committees on energy, environment and health. A decision will be made Tuesday, said Sen. Gary Hooser (D-Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau) the bill’s sponsor.
“I’m confident that we will pass something meaningful out of committee,” he added.
Former state Health Department employee Carl Berg agreed, a sentiment he demonstrated in his testimony for the senators.
“Public health is at severe risk due to toxic waste spewing from the smoke stacks of cruise ships using Nawiliwili Harbor,” the testimony stated. “The more ships, the more waste, the more severe health problems. It has long been intolerable.”
Berg, an environmental scientist with a doctorate from the University of Hawai‘i, lives adjacent to the Niumalu community, which he said receives the brunt of the pollution as trade winds carry the exhaust smoke into the Eastside valley.
Bunker fuel oil is burned in a furnace or boiler to generate heat or used in an engine to generate power. It usually is the heaviest fuel that can be derived from crude oil, the legislation states, and has been linked to several adverse health risks.
Alan Yamamoto, vice president of Hawaii Operations for Norwegan Cruise Lines America, said he wants to work with the state and community but believes the bill is “premature and raises a number of issues.”
The company remains the largest cruise ship company serving the main Hawaiian islands, with two ships arriving twice weekly and often docking overnight at Nawiliwili Harbor.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 2526, would prohibit large commercial passenger vessels from burning bunker fuel containing 1,000 or more parts per million of sulfur within a five-mile radius of Nawiliwili Harbor starting Dec. 31.
“(Norwegian Cruise Lines) anticipates the cost to convert over to this fuel would be significant possibly adding thousands of dollars to each voyage and impacting bottom line,” Yamamoto said in his testimony to the state Legislature. “The option of converting to other fuels should be evaluated.”
He also said the pollution may be coming from sources other than cruise ships, noting inconclusive state investigations. He asked that a fuel availability study be conducted as part of the analysis on the legislation to determine what fuel products are currently produced and available in Hawai‘i and the cost of these products.
Other cruise lines, such as Carnival-owned Princess Cruises and the Holland America Line, which serve Kaua‘i less frequently than Norwegian Cruise Lines, remain unopposed to the bill.
“We understand that some residents of Nawiliwili have concerns about odor and soot in the harbor area and we believe it’s important to take meaningful action to begin the process of addressing these concerns,” Princess Cruises Public Relations Vice President Julie Benson said.
During 2008, Princess Cruises will make 18 calls in Kaua‘i, she added.
“We believe it is important to acknowledge the complaints and work together to resolve this problem and we think a reasonable first step in addressing this matter is to get good information about what might be done to reduce odors and soot,” Benson said.
Rep. James Tokioka, D-15th District, has introduced companion legislation in the House. It passed one committee hearing with amendments that reduced the five-mile restriction to include only ships docked at the harbor and increased the sulfur limit to allow 5,000 parts per million.
The state Health Department, in its testimony on House Bill 2919, stated that limiting the fuel sulfur content to 1,000 parts per million or 0.1 percent will result in a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions. But concerns have been raised over the availability of this higher grade fuel.
“If it is not available in sufficient quantities today, I contend that if the shipping industry is given time to switch, that a Hawai‘i refinery will accommodate by producing the 0.1 percent fuel,” Berg said. “It would be a great financial benefit to our local oil refinery industry. There is a trend nationwide to switch to the higher grade fuels and Hawai‘i has to be a part of that.”
Similar legislation to restrict what fuels ships can burn at ports is pending in Congress. California has a state law to burn low sulfur fuel.
Hooser said cruise companies said at the hearing that they burn the 0.5 percent fuel required in California and then switch to a dirtier fuel out at sea.
Hooser also pointed out that NCL is able to sail in and out of California on the higher grade fuel.
Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have voluntarily agreed to change what fuels they burn in Hawai‘i, the senator said, but want to do a series of testing to see if it makes a difference.
The state House bill is now in the Transportation Committee, Tokioka said. A hearing date has not been set and no additional changes have been made, he added.
“You can easily see the blue-gray discharge from the ships and how it drifts inland on to the Niumalu neighborhood,” Berg said. “You can also smell the pollution and see it settling out on your house, windows and furniture. With two ships in the harbor at a time, the pollution levels are sickening, both to the Niumalu community and to the dock workers.”
The Yamamoto asked the Legislature to examine issues of operational safety for the vessels.
“We need to do a comprehensive risk assessment because we know fuel shifting underway is a proven safety risk,” he said. “We want input from the U.S. Coast Guard on this matter as well. We may also want to see how this issue is being addressed at the federal and international levels so we can deal with it in a comprehensive manner.”
Authorities with the state Department of Transportation said in its Jan. 29 testimony that it supports efforts to reduce air pollution, but feels further study is necessary before action is taken to implement the proposed legislation.
The department noted that “NCL America already uses low sulfur fuel on its Hawai‘i-based ships.”
Tara Niemeier, a Kaua‘i teacher, submitted testimony to the committee. She said Tuesday several students in her classroom complained of headaches and she experienced “a burning sensation in my eyes and a sense of dizziness while the fumes from the ship docked at Nawiliwili Harbor filled the air.”
Officials with the state Department of Health said cruise ships currently burn fuel with a sulfur content typically ranging from 1.4 to 2.5 percent. Land-based power plants on Hawai‘i, by comparison, burn mostly 0.5 percent sulfur fuel.
The department said it “appreciates the intent” of Senate Bill 2526, but has “concerns that the cleaner fuel may not be available in Hawai‘i, and also that the diesel odor problems may not be entirely resolved because people have different sensitivities to smells.”
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has voiced its support of the legislation, noting that “none of our harbors deserve to be polluted by these emissions.”
The bill has also garnered the support of the Sierra Club’s Kaua‘i Group, Malama Kaua‘i and numerous Niumalu residents.
The committee vote was delayed until next week because the committee chair had to leave the meeting early, Hooser said. Should it pass then, it heads next to the Senate floor.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
Community members and industry executives testified on the proposed legislation before the Senate committees on energy, environment and health. A decision will be made Tuesday, said Sen. Gary Hooser (D-Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau) the bill’s sponsor.
“I’m confident that we will pass something meaningful out of committee,” he added.
Former state Health Department employee Carl Berg agreed, a sentiment he demonstrated in his testimony for the senators.
“Public health is at severe risk due to toxic waste spewing from the smoke stacks of cruise ships using Nawiliwili Harbor,” the testimony stated. “The more ships, the more waste, the more severe health problems. It has long been intolerable.”
Berg, an environmental scientist with a doctorate from the University of Hawai‘i, lives adjacent to the Niumalu community, which he said receives the brunt of the pollution as trade winds carry the exhaust smoke into the Eastside valley.
Bunker fuel oil is burned in a furnace or boiler to generate heat or used in an engine to generate power. It usually is the heaviest fuel that can be derived from crude oil, the legislation states, and has been linked to several adverse health risks.
Alan Yamamoto, vice president of Hawaii Operations for Norwegan Cruise Lines America, said he wants to work with the state and community but believes the bill is “premature and raises a number of issues.”
The company remains the largest cruise ship company serving the main Hawaiian islands, with two ships arriving twice weekly and often docking overnight at Nawiliwili Harbor.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 2526, would prohibit large commercial passenger vessels from burning bunker fuel containing 1,000 or more parts per million of sulfur within a five-mile radius of Nawiliwili Harbor starting Dec. 31.
“(Norwegian Cruise Lines) anticipates the cost to convert over to this fuel would be significant possibly adding thousands of dollars to each voyage and impacting bottom line,” Yamamoto said in his testimony to the state Legislature. “The option of converting to other fuels should be evaluated.”
He also said the pollution may be coming from sources other than cruise ships, noting inconclusive state investigations. He asked that a fuel availability study be conducted as part of the analysis on the legislation to determine what fuel products are currently produced and available in Hawai‘i and the cost of these products.
Other cruise lines, such as Carnival-owned Princess Cruises and the Holland America Line, which serve Kaua‘i less frequently than Norwegian Cruise Lines, remain unopposed to the bill.
“We understand that some residents of Nawiliwili have concerns about odor and soot in the harbor area and we believe it’s important to take meaningful action to begin the process of addressing these concerns,” Princess Cruises Public Relations Vice President Julie Benson said.
During 2008, Princess Cruises will make 18 calls in Kaua‘i, she added.
“We believe it is important to acknowledge the complaints and work together to resolve this problem and we think a reasonable first step in addressing this matter is to get good information about what might be done to reduce odors and soot,” Benson said.
Rep. James Tokioka, D-15th District, has introduced companion legislation in the House. It passed one committee hearing with amendments that reduced the five-mile restriction to include only ships docked at the harbor and increased the sulfur limit to allow 5,000 parts per million.
The state Health Department, in its testimony on House Bill 2919, stated that limiting the fuel sulfur content to 1,000 parts per million or 0.1 percent will result in a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions. But concerns have been raised over the availability of this higher grade fuel.
“If it is not available in sufficient quantities today, I contend that if the shipping industry is given time to switch, that a Hawai‘i refinery will accommodate by producing the 0.1 percent fuel,” Berg said. “It would be a great financial benefit to our local oil refinery industry. There is a trend nationwide to switch to the higher grade fuels and Hawai‘i has to be a part of that.”
Similar legislation to restrict what fuels ships can burn at ports is pending in Congress. California has a state law to burn low sulfur fuel.
Hooser said cruise companies said at the hearing that they burn the 0.5 percent fuel required in California and then switch to a dirtier fuel out at sea.
Hooser also pointed out that NCL is able to sail in and out of California on the higher grade fuel.
Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have voluntarily agreed to change what fuels they burn in Hawai‘i, the senator said, but want to do a series of testing to see if it makes a difference.
The state House bill is now in the Transportation Committee, Tokioka said. A hearing date has not been set and no additional changes have been made, he added.
“You can easily see the blue-gray discharge from the ships and how it drifts inland on to the Niumalu neighborhood,” Berg said. “You can also smell the pollution and see it settling out on your house, windows and furniture. With two ships in the harbor at a time, the pollution levels are sickening, both to the Niumalu community and to the dock workers.”
The Yamamoto asked the Legislature to examine issues of operational safety for the vessels.
“We need to do a comprehensive risk assessment because we know fuel shifting underway is a proven safety risk,” he said. “We want input from the U.S. Coast Guard on this matter as well. We may also want to see how this issue is being addressed at the federal and international levels so we can deal with it in a comprehensive manner.”
Authorities with the state Department of Transportation said in its Jan. 29 testimony that it supports efforts to reduce air pollution, but feels further study is necessary before action is taken to implement the proposed legislation.
The department noted that “NCL America already uses low sulfur fuel on its Hawai‘i-based ships.”
Tara Niemeier, a Kaua‘i teacher, submitted testimony to the committee. She said Tuesday several students in her classroom complained of headaches and she experienced “a burning sensation in my eyes and a sense of dizziness while the fumes from the ship docked at Nawiliwili Harbor filled the air.”
Officials with the state Department of Health said cruise ships currently burn fuel with a sulfur content typically ranging from 1.4 to 2.5 percent. Land-based power plants on Hawai‘i, by comparison, burn mostly 0.5 percent sulfur fuel.
The department said it “appreciates the intent” of Senate Bill 2526, but has “concerns that the cleaner fuel may not be available in Hawai‘i, and also that the diesel odor problems may not be entirely resolved because people have different sensitivities to smells.”
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has voiced its support of the legislation, noting that “none of our harbors deserve to be polluted by these emissions.”
The bill has also garnered the support of the Sierra Club’s Kaua‘i Group, Malama Kaua‘i and numerous Niumalu residents.
The committee vote was delayed until next week because the committee chair had to leave the meeting early, Hooser said. Should it pass then, it heads next to the Senate floor.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
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