Governor Signs Bill on Cruise Ship Pollution
Gov. Tony Knowles signed a bill that makes Alaska the first state to regulate water pollution from cruise ships.
The bill, which affects ships capable of carrying 50 or more overnight passengers, sets up monitoring and sampling for water and air emissions and solid waste.
It targets treated sewage and “graywater,” or runoff from sinks, showers, kitchens, laundries and other non-sewage sources.
It establishes standards for allowable discharges in state waters and it sets up a $1-per-passenger fee to fund enforcement.
The law goes into effect today. However, it will take at least a summer of monitoring and sampling to develop some of the regulations on waste water, state officials said.
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