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Ferry Brown-Out

Is that solo driver stuck in rush hour traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge actually causing less air pollution than the commuter enjoying the breeze as he skims across the waves in a high speed ferry? A report issued by environmentalists says that plans to create a huge new ferry system could actually result in worse air quality in the Bay Area, and while its conclusions are in dispute, the report is causing environmental groups to rethink their support for the ferries.

The Bluewater Network analyzed existing EPA data for marine diesel engines and concluded that on a passenger/miles traveled basis the ferries generated 10 times more hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and particulate matter than automobiles, and 23 times as much as diesel buses. The report says that two factors play a major role. Ferries need huge engines - up to 5000 hp - to move through the waves, and, unlike automobiles, the boats aren't subject to federal or state emission controls.

Ferry supporters say the Bluewater Network didn't take the latest ferry technology into account and that many of the boats in the proposed 120 boat fleet will be water taxis and other small vessels, not the behemoths currently in use. They also note that a full EIR will be needed before a new ferry system is put in place. "We think the numbers will pencil out," says Russell Hancock of the Bay Area Council, a business sponsored think tank that strongly backs the ferries. The council says that the proposed system would also relieve freeway congestion by taking 25 to 30 million commuters off the road annually.

Legislation to create a Bay Area Water Transit Authority has passed the State Senate, but environmental groups including the Golden Gate Audubon Society, Save San Francisco Bay, Baykeeper, and Clean Water Action support the Bluewater report. They say that the state's Air Resources Board should do a full analysis of ferry pollution before the Transit Authority is created. The Board's Greg Harper says that wouldn't be easy. "You're talking about a really significant study to do it right."

Still, Bluewater's Russell Long thinks the study should be done before the state commits millions of dollars to ferry planing efforts. "Why spend all that money when the environmental problems may be insurmountable?"

Contacts: Bluewater Network (415)788.3666 or Bay Area Council (415)981.6000.

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