The Santa Barbara Harbor Commission voted unanimously on April 21 to establish a formal process in which the public can participate in an evaluation of the city’s cruise ship program. The Harbor Commission approved the formation of a new cruise ship subcommittee as a first step in the assessment.
With the return of cruise ships to Santa Barbara after a two-year hiatus, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper resumed its cruise ship monitoring program this spring to help deter ships from discharging wastewater in the proximity of Santa Barbara.
Channelkeeper also worked with the Waterfront Department to encourage cruise ships to reduce vessel speeds when approaching Santa Barbara to protect migrating whales from ship-strike.
Channelkeeper recently presented the Harbor Commission with more recommendations for the city’s cruise ship program. Among them was the establishment of a subcommittee to host a public process for re-evaluating the program as it relates to the city’s economic, environmental and community goals, and to develop recommendations regarding the direction of the program.
Creation of the subcommittee will provide an opportunity for community members to offer their opinions and suggestions, which will help guide the future of cruise ship visitation in Santa Barbara.
Cruise ship visits to Santa Barbara are a polarizing topic. While some community members support the financial contributions from cruise ship tourism, others oppose visits from the ships because of their harmful environmental impacts and record of violating laws.
Among the issues Channelkeeper will urge the subcommittee to examine is the city’s ability to achieve its adopted climate-related objectives, while simultaneously sponsoring a program that invites ships from an industry known to be one of the biggest sources of air pollution in Santa Barbara County to anchor offshore.
“As we’ve looked more closely at the emissions that these ships release, even while just anchored offshore, we have started really questioning whether or not this program aligns with the city’s broader climate-related goals and policies,” said Benjamin Pitterle, Channelkeeper’s science and policy director.
“This subcommittee will provide everyone an opportunity to examine all the pieces that go along with the cruise ship program in order to make informed and intentional decisions moving forward,” he said. “We applaud the Harbor Commission’s decision to gather public input and conduct a thorough assessment of Santa Barbara’s cruise ship program.”
The Harbor Commission will provide public announcements in the future with details about the subcommittee and ways for the community to get involved.
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