The Sierra Club, which criticized the agreement after it was signed last October, questioned why the meeting has been closed to the public.

Sierra Club director Jeff Mikulina asked why the administration is "shielding the industry from public scrutiny."

Larry Lau, deputy director for Environmental Health at the Health Department, said yesterday that the meeting today is to gather answers to some technical questions.

The agreement, known as a memorandum of under-standing, does not have the force of law but requires at least an annual review to monitor its effectiveness.

North West CruiseShip Association president John Hansen said the industry is not looking for changes to the agreement and does not believe there have been any incidents in violation of the guidelines.