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Aug 25
2010
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Ship Sewage RulesPosted by Bruce Robinson in water , transportation , tourism , public safety , policy , ocean , news , international , Health , government , garbage , fish , environment , corporate responsibiliyt , coast , California , business , animals |
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Land-based sewage discharges into the ocean are illegal. Soon that ban will apply to big ships, too, under new EPA rules being announced today.
Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was Environmental Director for the City and County of San Francisco before he was appointed his new job by the Obama administration last January. He would prefer that the ship sewage discharge ban reached at least twice as far offshore, but says three miles is all his agency can cover.
Even these new rules will only restrict about 4/5ths of the sewage discharges into the state’s bays and other coastal waters; most of the remaining 20% comes from smaller vessels not governed by the new rules. Blumenfeld would like to see an eventual system of controlled dockside flushes into regional treatment facilities, but acknowledges that’s little more than a vision right now.
While the new EPA rules are welcomed, some environmental groups are pushing for more stringent standards. There is also a separate move underway to impose a full ban on sewage discharges from all vessels on Tomales Bay.
Eco-tourism is a growth industry, especially in remote and unspoiled areas. But as those areas attract more visitors, can the natural experience they offer remain the same?
Initially, most geo-tourism was the realm of small, localized businesses that combined personal attention with the providers’ knowledge of the area they served. That’s still true in many cases, says writer-reporter Todd Pitock, but they no longer have that segment of the industry to themselves.
Todd Pitock's article, "
A remote Bolivian valley full of rare birds and wildlife is becoming an eco-tourism destination, thanks in part to an assist from a Sebastopol non-profit, the Conservation Strategy Fund.
Doron Amiran of the Sebastopol-based 
Touring the Bala Valley, where the Amazonia jungle backs up against the eastern foot of the Andes Mountains, Amiran found that accommodations for visitors were comfortable, but basic.
Each January, the chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors presents a Report to the community that reflects on the year just past, and looks ahead into the year just beginning. For the past several years, KRCB has been pleased to broadcast this annual State of the County address, a tradition that continues with this online posting of the audio from the event, as introduced by News Director Bruce Robinson.
