Introduced this week, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act establishes monitoring, reporting, and verification requirements of greenhouse gas emissions for vessels over 5,000 GT.
According to House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the bill ‘provides a roadmap for ocean and coastal climate resilience, and responsibly uses them to curb the pollution that is intensifying the climate crisis.’
Under the proposed bill, which was co-authored by Grijalva and House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), vessels must measure and report CO2 emissions on an annual basis. It also directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to publish an annual report on the shipping sector’s CO2 emissions and efficiency.
If enacted, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act would also prohibit federal loan guarantees for fishing vessels unless the construction, reconstruction or reconditioning that is the subject of the federal guarantee will increase fuel efficiency or reduce fuel usage of the resulting vessel.
It also directs the NOAA Administrator to designate areas of importance to marine mammals within which all vessels greater than or equal to 49 feet in overall length shall observe a speed of 10 knots or less, consistent with safe navigation.
To view a section-by-section summary of the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, click here.