Gov. Schwarzenegger's 'BLUE REVOLUTION'

[liberato]

California leads nation in ocean conservation.

 

[EricJ]

Thanks for sharing that news article.

 

[archman]

This sounds fantastic. I would like to get a link to the actual bills however, to look at the details. I've seen enough "groundbreaking" environmental legislation with no practical enforcement value to choke on. Hawaii suffers from "paper tiger" syndrome quite a bit, so does Florida.

Alaska on the other hand, yeah baby they don't mess around. I love their enforcement practices... they actually have enforcement.

I like that California is following recommendations from the recent Ocean Policy report. The lack of ANY discernible movement from the federal government is quite disquieting.

California became the state with the strictest rules on cruise ships. Two of the bills banned cruise ships from dumping sewage or waste from sinks, showers and laundries in state waters out to three miles. A third banned cruise ships from incinerating garbage.

Cute. Black water (raw sewage) discharge has been banned to 3 miles out for quite a long time. That's federal law. Rarely enforced, however.The gray water ban is new, though. So is halting incineration practices. That'll reduce harmful air pollution significantly. You wouldn't believe what sorts of nasty compounds are in this stuff.
Local air pollution ordnances can (and have been) enacted by the local government. Los Angeles Harbor doesn't need the state or feds to regulate its air pollution. No biggie

Fishing restricted zones. Good.

I suppose this state legislation means that the proposed federal Clean Cruise Ships Act got axed in Congress. That was one sweet Bill, with considerable support from the West Coast and New England states. The Gulf and south Atlantic states must've shut it down... we're typically slower on the uptake regarding environmental quality. Nuts.

 

[DoubleDip]

Hmm, I would think the unregulated industrialization of China would have more impact on air quality in California than a cruise ship burning its own waste in International waters. I do condemn the burning of waste at sea, rather than an orderly disposal of such waste on land. There again, we (in Washington state) just had a ship dump oil while it was in the sound, at this time the ships registry is unknown. The oil was a light grade, perhaps fuel oil and while its effect was limited, just as its when a underwater camera housing will flood and not if, the enforcement of enviromental law in our territorial waters seems to be a joke.

 

[drbill]

When I see the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) finally implemented after being sidelined by political opposition from recreational and commercial fishers, and our "budget crisis," I will believe this. If the $2.5 million raised is to go towards continuing the process, adopting the reserve areas already defined, implementing good education programs and enforcement... then I will believe this. But there is hope.

Dr. Bill