Comment Log Display

Dear Ms. Nichols and California Air Pollution Control District
Board Members:

As a California resident, living near the coast, I am very
concerned about the significant GHG and toxic air emissions
produced by cargo ships in our nearshore waters. It adversely
affects my health and the health of my community.

Ship strikes also pose a threat to whales. Most significantly,
during normal-speed vessel travel, a number of blue whales were
struck and killed by cargo ships in the Santa Barbara Channel. We
know that the current vessel speed puts endangered whales at risk.
How can we criticize those countries that continue whaling, if we
are not willing to take steps to protect the whales in our waters.
Indeed, it is a federal mandate to protect them.

Slowing down cargo ships meets multiple objectives in your Draft
Cap-and-Trade Investment Plan including: reducing GHG emissions and
other air pollutants, improving public health, and better
protecting whales. I support including vessel speed reduction in
your Final Plan as a priority for funding and request Cap-and-Trade
money be directed to the Vessel Speed Reduction Initiative.