Res 0550-2015

By Council Members Rose, Gentile and Richards Whereas, Ships that dock at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal are typically in port for up to 11 hours, during which time they load and unload passengers and supplies; and Whereas, While these ships are in port, their engines burn bunker fuel in order to idle in place and keep their electrical systems operating; and Whereas, Burning bunker fuel, which is a heavy petroleum product that is left over after the distillation process, emits particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons; and Whereas, According to a study published in the journal of the American Chemical Society, such pollution from ships contributes to an estimated 60,000 deaths per year worldwide; and Whereas, According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the particulate matter in fumes emitted by idling cruise ships can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory ailments, and can increase the risk of cancer; and Whereas, Asthma is a significant problem in communities adjacent to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, including Red Hook, which is also adjacent to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the high volume of traffic that it carries; and Whereas, Shore power, also known as cold-ironing, is a process whereby shore-based electrical power is provided to a ship at berth through a large extension cable, enabling the ship to operate its electrical systems without burning dirty bunker fuel and idling in port; and Whereas, Shore power is already in use at ports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego and elsewhere; and Whereas, According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, implementing shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal would reduce annual ship emissions in the port by 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide, 95 tons of nitrous oxide and 6.5 tons of particulate matter, resulting in $9 million in health benefits per year; and Whereas, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has committed $12.1 million and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has committed $2.9 million to fund the construction of a shore power facility at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal; and Whereas, The shore power facility that is under construction at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is scheduled to be completed in 2015; and Whereas, An obstacle to implementing shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is the price of shore-based electricity, which can cost ships significantly more than burning bunker fuel to idle in port; and Whereas, The New York Power Authority agreed to supply electricity to cruise ships at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at a fixed and discounted rate for a period of years in order to facilitate the use of shore power; and Whereas, Setting a long-term competitive electricity rate for the use of shore power at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal would discontinue the use of bunker fuel by idling ships, improve the air quality of surrounding neighborhoods and New York City in general, and provide a model of clean technology that may be utilized at ports throughout New York; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York Power Authority to permanently set a competitive electricity rate at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in order to facilitate the use of shore-based electrical power by cruise ships that wish to cease idling in the port and reduce their air pollutant emissions. BTM LS 2898/2014