Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, spoke in favor of legislation that would enable the United States to enforce international regulations to reduce harmful air pollution from large ocean-going ships.

The Marine Pollution Prevention Act (House Resolution 802), which passed the House on Tuesday, would require the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard to implement Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships — commonly known as the MARPOL treaty — and develop vessel emission standards and to enforce the requirements on the thousands of U.S. and foreign-flagged vessels that enter U.S. waters each year.

The standards would help reduce air pollution that has affected the health of residents living and working on the Central Coast.

The Senate passed the bill on June 26, and it now goes to President Bush for his signature.

Emily Kryder is press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.