California’s air pollution regulator has banned large trucks, buses, cargo ships and various manufacturers.
Their latest target is a much smaller industry: fishing and whale watching operators, and their aging diesel-powered ships are responsible for what is officially said to be the large amount of dangerous pollution that lingers in the state’s docks and bays.
The California Air Resources Board met on Friday to review a measure that requires owners of sport fishing, whale watching and other excursions to install the latest and cleanest diesel engines and possibly filters to reduce exhaust pipe emissions.
Most of the boat owners are husband and wife businesses that cater to blue-collar anglers and families. They said that unlike other large companies, they do not have enough funds to meet the proposed regulations, and many companies may be forced to close their doors.
"I'm terrified. Should I learn a new deal now?" said Jeff Jessop, 46, who is part of the owner of three fishing boats and is based in San Pedro ( San Pedro) landed, and he has been working as a sailor since he was a teenager. "I think this is my future and my retirement."
Industries including large rig truck companies and cargo ship operators expressed concerns before environmental regulations would cause workers to lose their jobs and shut down companies. Business experts and researchers generally say that environmental regulations have little to do with reducing overall employment in the economy. Instead, they said, regulations often shift jobs from one industry to another—for example, from the petroleum industry to the clean energy industry.
Experts say that regulations have indeed increased operating costs and cut profits.
Cary Coglianese, a professor of law and head of the regulatory program at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "The operators of this industry are likely to undergo some changes." "Will this industry disappear completely? I find it hard to imagine."
Coglinese said that if ships pollute the air of nearby residents, then it makes sense for them to pay to reduce the burden.
"You can say that society is subsidizing these companies," he said. "We are paying the price for this harmful pollution."
In the case of husband-and-wife companies such as ship operators, environmental regulations usually force the industry to consolidate into a few companies with more funds that are willing to pay for environmental upgrades.
"The industry can survive, but its composition will change," said Shon Hiatt, professor of management and organization at the University of Southern California. "Regulations often do reduce competition and increase costs."
According to state officials and ship owners, many wooden and fiberglass boats-most cruise ships in the state-cannot accommodate the proposed new engines and filters, so they must be replaced with metal boats worth US$2 to 5 million . The owner said that the engines and filters called Tier 3 and Tier 4 were too large and heavy and generated too much heat to be installed on most existing ships.
They also stated that the required particulate filter may become clogged in some cases, forcing the captain to turn off the engine, allowing the ship to drift while the crew is trying to drain through the filter.
In order to cover the cost of new ships equipped with cleaner-burning engines, representatives of the Air Resources Board recommended that ship owners increase the daily price of sport fishing or whale watching trips by approximately US$40 (currently ranging from US$55 to US$110) per person.
"It is a very ugly situation for this government to issue very unrealistic decisions to the people," said Rick Oefinger, president of Marina del Rey Sportfishing in the community, who runs 6 boats and employs 15 in the community. Workers.
The second and final vote on the proposed regulations is expected in the spring. If passed, it will take effect in 2023, but shipowners who encounter financial difficulties before the deadline can request that compliance be postponed to 2034.
The regulations are part of a larger state effort that began in 2007 to reduce emissions from California’s busy ports and terminals, which are the largest in the United States.
Taken together, they expect to reduce at least 1,560 tons of diesel emissions between 2023 and 2038, which is equivalent to the daily emissions of 246,000 heavy-duty diesel trucks from Los Angeles to Sacramento, according to the air resource plank.
In the San Pedro area, the Air Resources Board estimates that sport fishing, whale watching, and other daily excursions account for 21% of all emissions, making it the third largest source of air pollution in the area. The state agency stated that a sport fishing boat generates as much pollution as 162 school buses that have been in use for 5 years.
Bonnie Soriano, head of the Cargo Activities Division of the California Air Resources Board, said: “Port vessels are one of the top three emission sources that increase the risk of cancer around ports and marine facilities.” “This [regulation] ] Reduced the risk of nearly 15 million residents suffering from cancer due to emissions."
According to the Air Resources Board, the proposed regulations are expected to avoid 531 premature deaths, 161 hospitalizations and 236 medical visits in the next ten years or so.
The state agency is considering similar emission regulations for commercial fishing operations that operate more than 1,000 vessels in the state. If passed, the plan will not take effect until 2035. The Air Resources Board plans to give commercial fishing boat owners extra time to comply, because agency officials stated that these companies do not have the same ability to pass on the cost of new engines and boats to their customers.
Air Resources Board officials acknowledged that the regulation will force many ship owners to replace their ships with new ones. They pointed out that the average age of the ships used for fishing and whale watching in California is 45 years and will eventually need to be replaced. They deny the claim that the particulate filter is prone to clogging.
David Quiros, manager of the Air Resources Board’s cargo technology department, said: “We believe that most recreational fishing vessels must be replaced to comply with the regulations.”
When the Air Resources Board implemented similar emission regulations for large rig trucks in 2013, trucking companies estimated that they would have to spend more than $10,000 per truck to comply. Hiatt, a professor at the University of Southern California, said that many independent truck operators have closed down due to regulations, while large trucking companies have met the requirements and continue to thrive.
The challenge for small ship owners is to obtain funds to pay for environmental upgrades and persuade passengers to pay higher prices to help pay for the upgrades.
"How much will it cost to watch whales or sports fishing before losing customers?" said Jerry Nicholsberg, a professor of economics at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Earlier in a recent working day, dozens of anglers crowded a boat in Oefinger for a half-day fishing trip. A group of seagulls and pelicans followed the ship out to sea, trying to pick up some discarded bait or fish scraps at the stern.
The mist enveloped the dark and cold mornings, and anglers regretted the proposed changes because they might increase the price of their favorite pastime.
South Bay angler James Miller, who fishes weekly, said the proposed $40 fee increase means less fishing trips.
"Most people who fish are middle-class. Forty dollars is a lot of money for them," he said. "If you are rich, you buy your own boat."
Art Preston of Los Angeles said he would be angry with higher fishing fees, but that would not prevent him from fishing every week.
"They are pricing these guys' business," he said angrily to the state environmental regulator.
Jaime Diamond operates two sport fishing boats in Santa Barbara, a 65-foot ship named Stardust, built in 1968, and a 60-foot ship named Coral Sea, built in 1961.
Diamond hired 13 workers. She said she could not afford a new boat worth $4 million to meet national guidelines. Even if she could find the money, she did not think her client would pay more for her daily fishing trip cost. .
"Our ordinary customers are working class," she said.
She said that neither of Diamond’s ships could carry the newer low-emission engines proposed by the state, so she could not sell them in California to cover the cost of buying new ships. She added that these boats are difficult to sell outside the state because they are built for the specific fishing methods and weather in California.
Some boat owners also feel that they have been singled out, and commercial fishing boats still have a few years to comply.
"I just think they are fighting us," Diamond said.
Oefinger and other ship owners said that the Air Resources Board should crack down on larger merchant ships, which usually emit more pollution than whale watching and sport fishing excursions.
"We are not an important participant in the grand plan," he said.
Soriano of the Air Resources Board said the agency has passed or plans to implement emission regulations for all heavy ocean polluters.
"They will never be singled out," she said of the boat operator.
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Hugo Martín covers the tourism industry for the business section of the Los Angeles Times, including airlines and theme parks. Martín is a native of California. He is part of the Metro staff who won three Pulitzer Prizes in 1993, 1995 and 1998.
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