Thursday, February 28, 2008

Court rejects California limits on ship emissions

There goes another investment idea. When California first proposed limiting ship's emissions, I thought some smart Mexican billionaire, along with the Chinese, would be building a world class port to take all the business that wouldn't be going to Long Beach.
From the Los Angeles Times:

Appellate judges say the state needs federal approval for the regulation, which was designed to cut pollution generated by ports.
A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected a state regulation that reduced emissions from ships, dealing a blow to California's attempt to combat one of the major sources of smog-forming pollution in the Los Angeles region.

The ruling means that the state must seek federal approval before imposing pollution limits on the thousands of cargo ships, cruise ships and other marine vessels that visit its ports.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that California's new regulation is preempted by federal law. The Clean Air Act allows California to set its own standards for various vehicles and engines if it receives waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The state argued that in this case it didn't technically need a waiver, but the judges disagreed....MORE

HT: Environmental Capital