BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 471
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 14, 2003 

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                              Darrell Steinberg, Chair

                    AB 471 (Simitian) - As Amended:  May 6, 2003 

          Policy Committee:                              Environmental  
          Safety & Toxic Materials                      Vote: 5-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill establishes a regulatory regimen designed to reduce  
          emissions of air pollutants from cruise ships while the ships  
          are docked or operating within 90 miles of the California coast.  
           Specifically, this bill:

          1)Prohibits a cruise ship from:

             a)   Conducting onboard waste incineration within 90 miles of  
               the California coast.
             b)   Using any diesel fuel, while operating within 25 miles  
               of the coast starting             January 1, 2005, other  
               than diesel fuel specially formulized for use in  
               California.
             c)   Operating, starting January 1, 2008, its main propulsion  
               or auxiliary engines while docked and instead requires  
               connection to a shoreside power source.

          1)Defines "cruise ship" to mean a commercial vessel with a  
            minimum capacity of 250 passengers for hire.

          2)Requires the Air Resources Board (ARB) to enforce #1 above and  
            allows the board to adopt standards, rules and regulations for  
            that purpose.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Moderate costs, about $180,000 in FY 2004-05, to the ARB if  
            the board exercises its authority to adopt standards and rules  
            and regulations.  (Air Pollution Control Fund (APCF)









                                                                  AB 471
                                                                  Page  2

          2)Moderate ongoing costs, about $250,000 annually starting in FY  
            2005-06, to the ARB to adequately administer and enforce  
            cruise ship air pollution reduction requirements.  (GF or  
            APCF.)

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  .  The bill's sponsor, the Bluewater Network, contend  
            that cruise ships operate largely unfettered by the state's  
            laws designed to protect air quality.  The air pollution  
            generated by diesel engines powering cruise ships is  
            equivalent to the exhaust of thousands of automobiles. In  
            addition, cruise ships generate tons of solid waste which is  
            often incinerated onboard.
           
          2)Related Legislation  .  AB 433 (Nation), also up today in this  
            committee, revises the California Ballast Water Management for  
            Control of Nonindigenous Species Act and extends the Act's  
            sunset to 2010.

            AB 121 (Simitian), also up today, prohibits cruise ships from  
            discharging, into the state's waters and four national marine  
            sanctuaries, sewage, oily bilge water, or ballast water.

            AB 906 (Nakano), up today in this committee, prohibits cruise  
            ships from discharging graywater and hazardous waste into  
            state waters and the four national marine sanctuaries.

           3)Cruise Ship Air Pollution  .  Large cruise ships and other large  
            ocean going vessels have become one of the top dischargers of  
            nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides and diesel particulates in  
            the world.  Marine engines generally operate on relatively  
            dirty fuels with high sulfur and aromatic content.  Use of  
            California diesel fuels specifically formulated for diesel  
            engines in the state emit less than 10% of the volume of  
            sulfur oxide routinely emitted by marine diesel engines. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Steve Archibald / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081