STOP the corporate shipping industry from putting orcas in danger!

After last year’s losses of Cappuccino and Marina, there are only 74 Southern resident killer whales remaining in the wild, and these critically endangered species are nearing extinction.

Meanwhile, corporate ships continue to cause dangerous ocean pollution that harms orcas and their habitats, driving their food sources away, and making it difficult for them to survive -- particularly pregnant orcas who are especially vulnerable.

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Dear EPA Administrator Regan,

Over the years, cruise companies have polluted our air, water, and climate -- much of this pollution is legal, but cruise companies are also responsible for significant illegal pollution. In 2020, the cruise industry was thrust into the spotlight for knowingly putting public health at risk from COVID-19. Thousands of people contracted the virus while on cruise ships, and hundreds died. The cruise industry has repeatedly made choices that put the health of people and the planet at risk.

Southern Resident Killer Whales are at serious risk. The cruise industry is dumping its exhaust gas scrubber wastewater into the marine waters where orcas live. This practice is exacerbating the threats to this iconic species. Southern Resident Killer Whales are sounding the alarm bells; only one in three survive birth. They are starving due to the lack of salmon. They are stressed and hungry, and the cruise industry is only making matters worse.

Scrubbers were supposed to be one of the solutions to clean up the cruise industry’s dirty smokestacks. Instead, these scrubbers merely convert the industry’s dirty air pollution into toxic water pollution. Most scrubbers used by the cruise industry are open-loop and emit acidic wastewater that is warmer than ambient seawater and contains heavy metals, PAHs, particulate matter, and nitrates, all of which are very harmful to the marine environment and the marine creatures that inhabit it. All our oceans are at risk from the cruise industry’s polluting emissions, and they need to stop immediately.

The world’s largest cruise company--Carnival Corporation--has been on criminal probation for the last four years as part of a record-setting $40 million fine and plea agreement for illegally dumping oily waste into the ocean for nearly a decade, as well as obstruction of justice for hiding its criminal activities from regulators. Carnival was allowed to restart cruising in the US last year despite its continued and ongoing pollution during its probation. Without this prosecution, we would likely have no knowledge of Carnival’s ongoing environmental crimes. Yet Carnival’s probation is set to end in April, so any court oversight will be gone just as the industry is ramping up for the 2022 season. To properly monitor and enforce environmental and public health laws on cruise ships, we need independent federal observers for all large cruise ships in the US.

I am calling on you to protect public health and the environment. Please commit to addressing the negative impacts the cruise industry has on passengers, crew, communities, oceans, and marine wildlife through improved and increased regulation and oversight of the industry.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First name} {user_data~Last name}
{user_data~City}, {user_data~State} {user_data~Postcode}

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