Alex Padilla: “I rise to introduce the Clean Shipping Act of 2023. This legislation aims to reduce harmful emissions from ocean going…”

“I rise to introduce the Clean Shipping Act of 2023. This legislation aims to reduce harmful emissions from ocean going vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent of Americans who live within 3 miles of a port. Globally, maritime shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, emitting an estimated 1 billion tons of GHG emissions per year and roughly 3 percent of total anthropogenic global-warming carbon-dioxide emissions. According to the International Maritime Organization, global shipping emissions could more than double between 2018 and 2050. That is why the United States signed two shipping declarations at COP26 to call for zero-emission fuels on international commercial vessels by 2030 and the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes by the middle of the 2020 decade. This legislation would set a path to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United States. The Clean Shipping Act will help reduce emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect air quality and public health for near-port communities, reduce climate pollution emissions from large marine vessels that call on U.S. ports, and ensure that the global maritime sector reduces, while providing the EPA with the flexibility needed to ensure smooth implementation.…”