Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) welcomed a decision by California’s air quality agency, the Air Resources Board (ARB), requiring ships within 24 miles of the coast to use cleaner fuels to reduce health threats to waterfront communities.

Earlier this year, Saldaña joined fellow State Legislators in urging the agency to adopt the proposed regulations.

“This move will have a significant impact on public health, while having a minimal impact on the shipping or cruise industries,” Saldaña said.

The new regulation is projected to cut dramatically the soot and sulfur oxide emissions from auxiliary ship engines using heavy diesel fuel. By requiring cargo and cruise ships to switch to lighter, cleaner fuel when they approach California’s ports, the state predicts reductions of diesel particulate pollution by over 70 percent by 2020.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, particulate pollution carries significant risks of cardio-pulmonary disease and certain types of cancer.

The Air Resources Board determined that the new requirements would increase the cost of shipping containers by less than 1 percent, and cruise prices by around 2 percent.

Earlier this year, Assembly Member Saldaña introduced legislation to explore the feasibility of requiring vessels entering San Diego Bay to switch from combustion energy production to a method known as “cold ironing”. The Navy in San Diego has utilized cold-ironing on all its ships to conserve fuel and to reduce emissions coming from docked ships for over a decade.

Assembly Member Lori Saldaña represents the 76th Assembly District, which includes San Diego’s downtown waterfront. She serves on the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, and the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife.