A unique program which is making the Santa Barbara Channel’s environment cleaner for humans, and safer for marine life is returning for the third time, and expanding to Northern California.
A coalition of agencies ranging from air pollution control districts in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is again offering a cash incentive program for cargo ships to slow down in the channel.
Mary Byrd, with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, says the program helps reduce toxic air pollution, and at the same time reduces the chances of whales being hit. Byrd says most people don’t realize that the ships passing through the Channel are a huge source of air pollution for Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, causing more than 50 percent of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in Santa Barbara County and more than 25 percent of NOx emissions in Ventura County.
But, there’s a new twist in the program this year, which is now in its third cycle. It’s growing. After seeing the success of the efforts in our region, it’s now spreading to the Bay Area. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is now offering it to cargo ships which use ports in the San Francisco/Oakland area.
The 2017 program offers companies up to $2500 dollars to compensate them for slowing their ships to a maximum of ten knots as they pass through the Santa Barbara Channel, or the approaches to Bay Area ports. More than $185,000 is available in the incentive fund, which means the number of participating ships could potentially double this year over 2016.
Those involved with the South Coast effort say it’s exciting to see the idea spreading, with the environment being the big winner.
