Posted on: Friday, February 7, 2003

Rules needed to keep cruise ships honest

As much as we love to see Hawai'i benefit from a flourishing cruise industry, we're aware that cruise ships are environmental challenges needing careful monitoring.

And so we applaud two House committees for advancing a bill to regulate cruise ship discharges. We've always held that a memorandum of understanding between the cruise industry and the state doesn't adequately protect the health of the ocean.

The legislation would regulate discharge of sewage and other wastewater, require cruise ship owners and operators to collect and test samples, maintain records and report discharges, require state monitoring of the program and impose a compliance fee.

The industry says it is more than willing to accept any such conditions based on a memorandum of understanding. That's admirable, and obviously it is in its own best interest to keep its operations squeaky-clean.

But obviously, an agreement does not have the same impact as a law. Let's pass the legislation.