US wants to limit harmful ship pollution

The Bush administration is pressuring the worldwide shipping industry to reduce diesel pollution from huge cargo carriers entering US seaports.

However, it is not moving aggressively enough for environmentalists and some members of Congress who represent areas with major harbors. The US regulators are negotiating with the United Nations' International Maritime Organisation to crack down on the large ships that threaten to erode anti-pollution gains already made under mandates for cars and trucks to produce less pollution. But the Britain-based maritime organization, which represents 167 countries, has moved slowly, even as ship traffic rises steadily. The US Environmental Protection Agency, after court challenges by environmental groups, initially agreed to regulate unhealthy ship emissions by last April but now is waiting until 2009, after the maritime group sets global standards. Some members of Congress want the EPA to act quickly on its own, and some shippers are voluntarily moving to cleaner-burning fuels. The World Shipping Council, representing most of the world's cargo carriers, supports the EPA's proposals but wants an international standard rather than US-specific rules.

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