FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact: Gershon Cohen, Ph.D., Project Director [See full contact info below.]
C-SAW PETITIONS STATE TO CHARGE ROYAL CARIBBEAN/CELEBRITY CRUISE LINES AGAIN FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING IN S.E. ALASKA
On August 9th, the Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters, a Haines-based water pollution project of the Earth Island Institute, petitioned the Alaska Attorneys General office to charge Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Cruise Lines with violations of the State's Water Quality Standards (WQS). The WQS prohibit any release that causes an emulsion or sludge to be deposited upon surface waters or shorelines of the State. C-SAW believes that the Celebrity Cruise Line ship Galaxy illegally discharged wastewater into Lynn Canal as it approached Haines on a scheduled port of call, in violation of 18AAC70.020(2)(C)§Residues.
On May 29th, several Haines residents witnessed a mass of white foam floating towards shore from the direction of the Galaxy. The discharge reached the shoreline approximately one mile south of town shortly after the Celebrity ship reached the Haines dock, covering the tideline area for approximately 200 yards. Witnesses photographed the discharge and contacted C-SAW. The exact nature and circumstances of the discharge are under investigation by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division.
While the industry remains largely exempt from the federal Clean Water Act, its discharges must still meet the requirements of the Alaska's WQS to insure protection of the public's health and welfare. According to C-SAW's Director Gershon Cohen, "Water quality is critical in Alaska where people are on the water for food harvesting, employment, and recreation, every day.
Every Alaskan has the right to fish, harvest seaweed, catch crabs and walk the beaches without wondering whether they are putting themselves or their children at risk because of illegal discharges from cruise ships."
Ironically, a group of the foreign flagged cruise ships recently sponsored an "Industry Environmental Awareness Day" in Juneau and staged VIP visits in Haines, touting an improved attitude and performance record regarding environmental protection.
Despite the hoopla, many people remain skeptical of the industry's commitment on non-public relation's issues. A notice of intent to sue Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Cruise Lines under the Clean Water Act was filed last month by Bluewater Network after patrons aboard the Celebrity ship Mercury witnessed and photographed a discharge similar to what was observed in Haines while docked in San Francisco. That incident is also under evaluation by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division.
Additional federal charges may be filed against the company as a result of this recent discharge in Alaska. Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Cruise Lines was convicted on 21-felony counts last year for illegal waste dumping, falsification of records, and obstruction of justice. That case prompted C-SAW and other water protection groups around the country to petition the EPA to review the industry's wastewater permit exemption from the Clean Water Act. In an effort to stave off this potential increase in regulation, the industry recently offered to follow a voluntary monitoring program this summer in Alaska.
The industry's "Alaska Initiative" has been strongly criticized for its lack of sufficient sampling, toxicity testing, and pollutant limits.
According to Cohen, "... regardless of this summer's skeletal monitoring plan there is no legitimate reason this industry should continue to escape the same permitting and oversight controls required of the oil, mining, seafood processing, and timber industries, in Alaska and elsewhere in the United States. The public has a right to clean water, the cruise ships should not have the right to pollute."
For more information, contact:
Gershon Cohen, Ph.D., Project Director
Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters (C-SAW)
Box 956
Haines, AK 99827
Phone: (907) 321-4121
Fax: (907) 766-2360
E-mail: gershon@seaknet.alaska.edu
C-SAW, a project of the Earth Island Institute, is dedicated to the elimination of the use of mixing zones for toxic chemicals.
