Bay Crossings Bay Environment

Marine Highways – The Next Traffic Jam?

By Teri Shore Bluewater Network

Ever wondered what those big container ships that cross the Bay are carrying? I checked the Port of Oakland’s website (www.portofoakland.com) and found that much of it is computer equipment, office machines, auto parts, wood and furniture. Followed by electronics, iron and steel, plastic resins, wine, red meat, fish and other categories. More than a third of the cargo hails from Asia, primarily China and Japan. The cargo also comes from Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and elsewhere.

Of course, we also send products the other way, shipping millions of metric tons of wastepaper, animal feeds, red meat and scrap metal out the Gate. But that’s not all, the ships also carry fresh fruit, frozen poultry, wine, raisins, nuts and other California farm products to other parts of the world.

Viewed from the perspective of transporting goods, San Francisco Bay is essentially an exit on the international marine highway--and as with all highways, traffic is expected to grow.

Right now, about two-thirds of all the electronics, clothing, food and other imported so-called consumer items purchased by Americans are transported by ship. And with global shipping trade expected to double over the next 20 years, we can expect to see more and more of these large vessels bringing goodies to us from overseas.

More cruise ships and fast ferries are also expected to navigate the waters of San Francisco Bay in coming decades. And plans are in the works to create new marine highways along the nation’s coastlines and waterways in an attempt to take trucks off congested interstates.

Of course, an environmentalist’s first question is, how will this affect our Bay environment? Will we be breathing dirtier air or experiencing more oil spills? Does this mean more dredging? Will the waterways remain as safe? A new avenue for addressing such questions is now opening up.

To prepare the nation’s waterways and ports to accommodate shipping growth and address environmental and other issues, a national effort is underway to manage, promote and fund the expansion of commercial marine transportation in the US. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta under President Bush is forwarding the Marine Transportation System initiative launched by the Clinton administration.

Recently, Sec. Mineta announced to the marine industry that he was prepared to establish a new funding source for water transit similar to what now exits for highway, bus, rail and other surface transportation. Currently, ferry boats and ports must compete with other modes for federal transportation dollars. The new initiative would provide a separate pot for marine transit, called SEA-21 (modeled after the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century or TEA-21). The legislation could be introduced as early as January or February 2002.

Bluewater Network views this as an opportunity for the Marine Transportation System to invest in cleaner, lower polluting fuels and technologies to power the next generation of ferries and ships, while making ports greener and more efficient. The new focus on marine transit also provides a chance to look for new ways to prevent and reduce environmental harm from commercial shipping and passenger transport caused by dredging, discharge of wastewater, diesel exhaust emissions, transiting endangered species habitat and many other activities.

After decades of work on cleaning up cars, trucks and buses, it’s the marine industry’s turn to get the research and development funds and incentives to create a cleaner, more environmentally sound transportation system. However, the MTS National Advisory Council is entirely dominated by marine industry representatives who may not share this environmental vision. Only one environmental group is represented among the 32-member council. The MTS process is moving quickly forward and specific port projects are already being identified for funding.

So Bluewater Network plans to participate in the planning process to push for funding for cleaner vessels and ports on San Francisco Bay and around the country. We strongly urge others to get involved, too.

In mid-August, the new Northern California subcommittee of the Marine Transportation System met to discuss the potential for SEA-21 funding in our region and how to involve all stakeholders in the process. The group began to assemble working groups to address key issues based on the findings of a national report released in September 1999, "An Assessment of the U. S. Marine Transportation System." The key areas were competitiveness, security, infrastructure, safety and environmental protection and dredging. The group agreed to break out Environmental Protection from Safety to better explore environmental issues.

The next regional MTS meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16 at Coast Guard Island in Alameda. To get on the mailing list, contact Capt. Lynn Korwatch of the Marine Exchange, korwatch@sfmx.org, 415-441-5045. To find out more about the Marine Transportation System, visit http://www.dot.gov/mts/ or contact me at tshore@earthisland.org.