Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution

"Emission Control Area" Means Healthier Air for Millions of Americans

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report released today
finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not
meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting
American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health
effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including
container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report,
released by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund,
National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,
is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.

The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government
that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the
establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution
limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO
during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged
vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers
estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths
annually. EPA's Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control
Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal
communities.

COALITION STATEMENTS

Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung
Association President and CEO: "In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw
firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container
ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere.
These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along
navigable waterways far inland. Their smog- and soot-forming emissions
threaten the health of those living far from our nation's maritime ports."

Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense
Fund: "The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a
serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in
port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air
and healthier communities."

Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean
Air Agencies: "These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck
to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution
from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities."

Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air
Agency: "Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America
at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and
Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles
inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see
significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when
an ECA is put in place."

BACKGROUND

An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air
standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve
fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going
ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that
typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these
vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent,
reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the
application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in
2010.

Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at
more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade "residual fuel" or "bunker fuel"
that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of
particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times
greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two
leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows
shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000
global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major
trade routes.

In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government,
adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their
fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in
designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships
currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an
ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then
to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.

Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming
oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.

EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA
will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of
Americans.

Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United
States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:

-- 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen, a precursor to
ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung
function in addition to other health effects;

-- 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, a key contributor to acid rain that
can
also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and

-- 54,000 tons of fine particulates, microscopic sized particles, which
can
be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body's defense
systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each
year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine
particulates.

Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world's
total greenhouse gas pollution.

American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by
improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung
Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy.
For more information, visit www.lungusa.org.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization,
represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund
has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships
to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems.
For more information, visit www.edf.org.

National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control
agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across
the country. NACAA's members have primary responsibility for ensuring that
everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information,
visit www.4cleanair.org.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area
including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We
work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through
education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit
www.pscleanair.org.

Coalition Contacts:
Heather Grzelka, Communications, American Lung Association, 202-715-3450,
hgrzelka@lungusa.org
Paul Billings, Vice President, American Lung Association, 202-785-3355 x 3988,
pbillings@lungusa.org
Sean Crowley, Marketing-Communications Director, EDF, 202-550-6524,
scrowley@edf.org
Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, EDF, 720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org
Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies,
301-806-6111 (c), bbecker@4cleanair.org
Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,
206-689-4004, DennisM@pscleanair.org
Kimberley Cline, Communications Specialist, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,
206-689-4070, KimberleyC@pscleanair.org

SOURCE Environmental Defense Fund

Heather Grzelka, Communications, American Lung Association, +1-202-715-3450,
hgrzelka@lungusa.org, or Paul Billings, Vice President, American Lung
Association, +1-202-785-3355 x 3988, pbillings@lungusa.org; Sean Crowley,
Marketing-Communications Director, EDF, +1-202-550-6524, scrowley@edf.org, or
Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, EDF, +1-720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org;
Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies,
+1-301-806-6111 (c), bbecker@4cleanair.org; Dennis McLerran, Executive
Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, +1-206-689-4004,
DennisM@pscleanair.org, or Kimberley Cline, Communications Specialist, Puget
Sound Clean Air Agency, +1-206-689-4070, KimberleyC@pscleanair.org