Applicability of shoreside air quality emission laws to merchant vessels in port. Final report

Existing rules and regulations for 17 port areas have been reviewed that apply to the broad classification of industrial power generating equipment to determine their potential impact on the operation of a steam turbine propelled merchant vessel, if the rules are expanded to include shipboard power plants. This analysis included a treatise on shipboard combustion, a survey of port area emission regulations, the determination of the need for compliance standards, a compliance cost assessment, and the development of emission law variance methodologies. The conclusions of this study led to the recommendations that: (1) A nationwide variance from the local regulation and control of ship stack emissions should be developed; (2) An appropriate federal agency should be selected to regulate ship emissions; (3) That agency should, with international concurrence, develop national regulations for ship emission control that are consistent with both the actual need to reduce vessel emissions and the technical and economic constraints dictated by current marine boiler technology; and (4) Before a national variance is established, a state-imposed restriction on local ship emission control can be sought in areas where unreasonable regulations are being applied to ships.