State/local air regulators, greens rip 'week' us EPA marine diesel reg proposal

Diesel Fuel News, July 22, 2002 by Jack Peckham

U.S. state/local air pollution regulators (STAPPA/ALAPCO) last week urged U.S. EPA to adopt much tougher marine fuels and emissions limits for the big "Category 3" (C3) diesel-powered ships.

In formal comments on EPA's big-ship proposed rule (see Diesel Fuel News 5/13/02, p7), the air regulators urge EPA to mandate a 1.5% sulfur limit on all bunker fuel (down from 4.5% International Maritime Organization limit) on all ships -- U.S. or foreign-flagged -- operating in U.S. waters.

"Such a fuel sulfur content standard, which is entirely feasible, could decrease the C3 PM [particulate matter] inventory by 18% and the C3 SOx [sulfur oxides] inventory by 44%," STAPPA/ALAPCO said.

For any ships operating within 175 nautical miles of U.S. shorelines, EPA also should "give serious consideration to the adoption of a more aggressive marine fuel sulfur content limit, in the range of 500 to 5,000 ppm," the air regulators said.

Eventually, this step should be followed by "future establishment of ultra-low fuel sulfur limits for C3 engines, consistent with the [EPA's] comprehensive effort to effectively address all diesel engines and fuels," they said.

Slashing fuel sulfur levels not only will cut SOx and PM emissions but also enable sulfur-sensitive NOx control technology such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR), they pointed out.

The group also urged EPA to adopt tougher "Tier 2" emissions limits "comparable to those being required of other mobile source categories," and establish new limits for hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and PM, not just nitrogen oxides (NOx). EPA also should try to find new ways to slash emissions from ships in port ("hotelling" emissions) and look for emissions retrofits on existing ships, not just new or "substantially modified" ships.

EPA is already mulling some of these measures, and it's also proposing voluntary "Blue Cruise" standards that would encourage ship operators to adopt low-sulfur fuels and advanced emissions controls.

But environmental groups such as Bluewater Network are urging mandatory rather than voluntary limits, and threaten to sue EPA once again if the agency fails to take tougher measures against both U.S. and foreign-flag vessels calling at U.S. ports. Bluewater especially singled out the oil tanker industry for having "relentlessly lobbied the [President Bush] administration to weaken or delay this regulation."