US tells ships to clean up fumes or stay away

Clean up your fumes or stay away. That’s the message US officials are sending to all vessels approaching US coasts. On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its intention to designate the US coastal region an “emission control area” within four years.

Ships entering US coastal waters, which typically extend 370 kilometres from the coast, will need to meet the highest clean air standards under international law. To approach the US, international vessels will have to cut sulphur emissions by 98 per cent on average by either burning cleaner fuel or chemically “scrubbing” their exhaust. Annual shipping emissions are thought to contribute to 60,000 deaths worldwide, via illnesses such as respiratory disease.

Also on Monday, a coalition of non-governmental organisations, including the Environmental Defense Fund and the American Lung Association, published a report finding that 87 million Americans live in port areas that do not meet federal air-quality standards. Canada hopes to create a similar clean-air buffer zone.