BILL NUMBER: S3663

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act in relation to the electrification of the Manhattan Cruise Termi-
nal; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration
thereof

 
PURPOSE:

To authorize and direct relevant New York agencies, authorities, and
corporations to commence the electrification of the Manhattan Cruise
Terminal for the purposes of providing shore power to all vessels dock-
ing in the terminal by the year 2030

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 directs the New York City Economic Development Corporation to
commence proceedings to electrify the Manhattan Cruise Terminal imme-
diately, and to complete this process by December 31, 2030.

              

Section 2 directs Department of Environmental Conservation to issue
regulations to mandate that vessels utilize shore power at Manhattan
Cruise Terminal when available and outline penalties to be levied for
violations of such regulations.

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

A single cruise ship docked at port and burning heavy fuel oil can emit
as much pollution as 34,400 idling long-haul trucks. When burned, this
toxic oil described by the NOAA as "the most significant threat from
ships to the Arctic Marine environment." Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide, another by product of heavy fuel oil combustion, damage the
respiratory system and are known to cause and worsen asthma, especially
in children and elderly adults. Both can interact with chemicals in the
atmosphere to form acid rain.

In response to the public health and environmental threats cruise ships
pose to the coastal ports at which they dock, many jurisdictions are
shifting to shore power, allowing cruise ships to plug into the power
grid on shore instead of burning fuel while idling. California, for
example, has required 70W of all visiting ships, not just cruise ships,
to plug in to shore power since 2007, and China adopted a measure in
2018 requiring all cruises to use shore power by 2021. Thirty percent of
the global fleet of cruise ships are already capable of using shore
power, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, and
another 301 are being retrofitted, paving the way for global electrifi-
cation.

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal began the process of electrification in 2011,
and finished the process in 2016. Though technical, compatibility, and
enforcement issues have delayed the full use of electric power, a third
of cruises docking at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal each year use available
shore power, and funding has been allocated by the city to raise the
number of electric calls.

Manhattan Cruise Terminal received more than double the cruise ships
that Brooklyn Terminal received in 2023. This legislation directs the
relevant agencies and authorities to begin the process of electrifica-
tion of the Manhattan terminal immediately, and commands that the proc-
ess is completed by 2030. This will ensure that as New York's major
cruise terminals grow to accommodate a flouring tourism industry, its
environment, air quality, and health remain protected.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.7231 of 2023-2024 (Hoylman-Sigal): Died in Finance

A.9319 of 2023-2024 (Rosenthal): Died in Energy

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the later
of January 1, 2031 or the date upon which the electrification of the
Manhattan Cruise Terminal is complete, when upon this act shall be
deemed repealed.