Calif. legislators propose national low-sulfur bunker fuel bill

Calif. legislators propose national low-sulfur bunker fuel bill    Legislation introduced last week by California's U.S. Congress senatorial team and a House Democrat representing the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles seeks to limit the use of bunker fuel by ocean vessels calling at American seaports.
   The proposed Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007 seeks to reduce emissions of sulfur oxides from ships by 90 percent over the next three years. Unavailable in the United States, high sulfur bunker fuel is readily available internationally and significantly cheaper than the low sulfur variety sold domestically.
   High sulfur bunker fuel, with sulfur contents as high as 27,000 parts per million, is often cited as one of the dirtiest fuels commonly available in the world.
   The new legislation would limit fuel used by any domestic or foreign-flagged carrier entering or leaving U.S. ports after 2010 to 1,000 parts per million of sulfur.
   Domestic on-road diesel fuels, by comparison, are blended to contain less than 15ppm of sulfur.
   Introduced by Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, and co-sponsored by Rep. Jane Harman, D-Torrance, the bill is supported by the American Lung Association, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.