Rep. Waxman and Senators Feinstein and Boxer Call on House and Senate Appropriators to Protect ECA Emissions Reductions

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Senator Barbara Boxer, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, sent letters to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to reject a proposed legislative rider for a pilot program that would allow averaging of emissions over a ship’s voyage.  The proposal has previously passed the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives and would have a detrimental impact on the ECA (Emission Control Area) designated by the International Maritime Organization to reduce air pollution from ships along the North American coastline.  Emissions reductions required in the ECA will improve public health and air quality along the coastlines, particularly in the state of California.