Boxer holds L.A. hearing on low sulfur fuels for ocean vessels

Boxer holds L.A. hearing on low sulfur fuels for ocean vessels    U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, facing an uphill struggle against the Bush administration over her proposed legislation to cut emissions of ocean vessels calling at U.S. ports, rallied support for her “Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007” at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday.
   Boxer, a California Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, proposed her legislation in May and similar legislation has been introduced in the House.
   Both proposals seek to limit the sulfur content of vessel fuel used by domestic ships and foreign vessels within 200 miles of the U.S. ports to 1,000 parts per million by the end of 2010. Actual determination of distances would be determined under the legislation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
   Thursday's field hearing, convened by Boxer, drew a sizable crowd and heard from the mayors of both Long Beach and Los Angeles, as well as shipping industry representatives.
   Boxer and both mayors slammed the EPA's April decision to postpone regulating ocean vessel fuels until 2009. The EPA let an April 27 deadline for developing regulations slip by and later announced the postponement.
   Boxer, vowing to get her bill to the Senate floor this session, declined during Thursday's hearing to detail those who support the bill on Capitol Hill. She said she would bring the bill back next session if it fails.