New cruise ship regulations draw ire from Alaska conservationists

Cruise companies unhappy at Alaska wastewater legislation. Image by Lyn Gateley / CC BY 2.0

Conservationists are battling new legislation that deregulate the discharge of wastewater from cruise ships in Alaska. Over recent years the Alaska legislature has rolled back a 2006 initiative that required cruise-ship wastewater to meet water quality standards before being discharged. Based on a science advisory panel that found that cruise ships could not consistently meet water standards, the legislature struck the requirement in 2013. Now a coalition of environmental groups are proposing new rules to protect Alaskan waters. They argue that the lax rules don’t currently notify the public of wastewater in certain areas, and the panel’s scientific findings weren’t based on the cumulative effects of wastewater in municipal water systems. Officials, on the other hand, say the current regulations comply with Alaska’s water standards. Read more: nytimes.com