State, cruise lines in talks
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
As the state and cruise lines negotiate changes to a voluntary anti-pollution agreement covering passenger ships, support is growing in the Legislature to put more muscle behind the environmental protections by enacting laws governing industry practices.
The state Department of Health and the North West CruiseShip Association, an industry group, began talks last month to amend a year-old "memorandum of understanding" that lays out guidelines on air and water emissions by cruise ships in the Hawaiian Islands.
State health officials plan to set stricter guidelines for cruise ships to report pollution incidents and to prepare for oil spills.
Environmental advocates, however, are pushing for stricter laws to replace the agreement.
State Rep. Brian Schatz, chairman of the committee on economic and business concerns, met with environmental advocate Ross Klein yesterday and said there is "increasing momentum" behind efforts to pass environmental legislation.
"It turns out we were really on the wrong end of the spectrum in terms of our environmental protection," said Schatz, D-25th (Makiki, Tantalus), who called the memorandum of understanding "almost a worthless document."
The efforts to push for environmental laws in Hawai'i follow the passage of legislation in California prohibiting discharges of wastewater or hazardous wastes in state waters and marine sanctuaries.
Schatz said he and other lawmakers will be introducing legislation in the next session to regulate the discharge of blackwater and graywater — sewage and wastewater from ship cleaning and other activities. The proposed legislation would be stricter than the memo of understanding, he said. Schatz did not have details about the proposals, but said specifics such as inspections would be discussed with health officials.
"I anticipate there will be more openness to environmental protection on the cruise industry because I think the Legislature and the public (are) only beginning to become aware of the dangers that these ships pose to our ocean," Schatz said.
But the last session's bills to impose more stringent requirements stalled in House and Senate transportation committees.
State Sen. Cal Kawamoto, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations, said he is opposed to the environmental proposals.
"We're not going to hear any of these environmental things right now. We just want them to look at the MOU," said Kawamoto, D-18th (Waipahu, Crestview, Pearl City).
"Until such time we see them violating the MOU, we're not going to give the cruise ships a hard time by submitting things that are not necessary."
Tom Arizumi, chief of the Health Department's environmental management division, said the state has drafted the amendments to the memo of understanding and is waiting for the cruise lines to review them.
The North West CruiseShip Association has said it is committed to the existing agreement.
But environmentalist Klein said he worried that the industry is not giving state officials full information in their closed negotiations.
"It really gets back to the problem: Is a voluntary approach effective?" Klein said.
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.
