California Court: Ships Must Use Clean Fuel

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 9:46 AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A federal court judge in Sacramento has upheld California regulations that require oceangoing ships using the state's ports to use cleaner fuel in order to reduce harmful emissions.

Judge Morrison England Jr. on Tuesday denied a motion by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association to prevent the rules from going into effect. The association claimed they went against a federal law that limited California's control of the seas to just three nautical miles off its coast.

The rule passed by California air regulators would cover ships within 24 nautical miles of the California coastline.

Morrison said the federal law known as the Submerged Lands Act has not been interpreted to prevent the state from extending regulations beyond the three-mile boundary.

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