California’s Coastline Just Got a Bit Cleaner – Redwood City, CA Patch

State Senator Joe Simitian’s Clean Coast Act – which bans cruise ships and other vessels from dumping in state waters – has prompted the EPA to declare the entire 1,624-mile California coast a ‘No Discharge Zone’…Thursday when the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) announced it is finalizing a law to ban all sewage discharge from large ships in state waters along the California coast.

The new rule is based on the California law currently in effect, which Simitian authored, that prohibits coastal dumping by cruise ships and other oceangoing vessels.

Thursday’s federal action establishes the largest coastal “No Discharge Zone” in the nation, stretching along California’s entire 1,624-mile coastline.

“This is a great day for the California coast, which is far too precious a resource to be used as a dumping ground,” Simitian said Thursday.

Simitian’s anti-dumping law petitioned the federal government for EPA authorization, leading to Thursday’s announcement by the EPA.

“This ‘No Discharge Zone’ – the largest in the nation – protects our coastal economy, our environment and our public health,” he added.

Thursday’s federal action comes as a result of Simitian’s Senate Bill 771, known as the Clean Coast Act. Enacted into law in 2005, it prohibits all commercial ships from dumping hazardous waste, sewage sludge, oily bilge water, “gray water” from sinks and showers, and sewage in state waters.

Senate Bill 771 also required California to petition the federal government for a “No Discharge Zone” to enforce the bill’s anti-dumping provisions, ultimately leading to Thursday’s action by the federal government. 

Cruise ships visit state waters hundreds of times a year, and oceangoing cargo ships make thousands of calls, Simitian says.

Throughout his career as a state legislator, Simitian has made the California coastline a personal cause of passion, authoring statutes dating back to 2003 to protect the shoreline and state waters, which extend three miles from the coast.

In addition to prohibiting dumping of various wastes, legislation authored by Simitian bans onboard incineration, forbids the release of ballast water that could contain harmful invasive species, and requires tighter oil spill prevention and response procedures.

For more information about the EPA’s action, click here.