Dangerous Ferry Emissions in California

This photo is of a California ferry service taken by a citizen reporter and posted on Flickr with her comments. Diesel ferries and other harbor craft emit dangerous particulate matter (black soot) that can cause serious health problems such as lung impairment, heart attacks and even premature death.

Here are a few statistics just posted by the California Air Resources Board:
- 3 tons of diesel soot and 73 tons of NOx: the amount of pollutants emitted daily from California harbor craft
- 4,200: an estimate of how many harbor craft vessels operate in California
- 600: number of CA ferries, excursion vessels, tugboats and towboats that require emissions reduction under a new ARB ruling to cut emissions by 50% by 2015

Thank you to Luxomdedia for providing the photo for this post. Here are her comments:
A plume of deadly diesel exhaust pours from the Blue and Gold Fleet Ferry service to Oakland Alameda. They do not use diesel particulate filters and the ferry manager said they do not have any plans to install them. An average of 900 people ride the ferry every day, including school children. The people who work on the ferry get the most exposure to it.

The company received roughly $1.5 million in Carl Moyer grant funding from Bay Area Air-Quality Management in 2006, including $677,531 for this vessel to be upgraded. They also raised their ticket prices for capital improvements. It seems that the vessel just "goes in for service" often, but no long-term air quality improvements are made. I usually enjoy riding the ferry, and the service and people who work there are great, but what's the point when you can't breathe fresh air? What is also concerning is that B&G claim to be clean, green and environmentally sound. I don't see any "green waves" here, do you? I am looking forward to when this is really a clean, green commute. Until then, I think I WILL hold my breath.

Check out the California Air Resources Board, and the Clean Air Task Force public health information about Diesel Exhaust, which causes cancer and other health problems contributing to thousands of premature deaths per year.

See the Source:
Luxomedia on Flickr

Find out:
About diesel particulate filters that can be used to retrofit ferries, reducing diesel particulate matter by more than 85%.