WASHINGTON, DC – In response to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introducing the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act, Delaine McCullough, Ocean Conservancy’s Shipping Emissions Campaign Manager, issued the following statement:

“The shipping industry exacts huge tolls on our ocean, climate and port communities by emitting around 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. To curb emissions and fund the clean shipping transition, it only makes sense that we should charge a comparable fee to the shipping industry for polluting our ocean and contributing to climate change. The billions of dollars these pollution fees are going to generate will bolster existing decarbonization priorities such as electrifying ports, developing alternative shipping fuels and eliminating air pollution. We need Congress to pass the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act so that our ocean and the climate can get what they’re owed.”

###

Delaine McCullough is available for interviews upon request. 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• The bill’s text can be found here.

ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY 

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.