Cruise industry, state need solid agreement
This might be a case of being careful what you wish for: Environmentalists and some state lawmakers have pressed for years for a specific state law that would control the environmental practices of our new cruise ship industry.
The law would be in contrast to a "memorandum of understanding" between the cruise operators and the state that sets rules for environmental practices both within state waters as well as outside that boundary.
Well, the new law is now in effect and the industry organization, the North West Cruiseship Association, says it will end its voluntary agreement with the state on Dec. 3. With the new law in place, the industry says, the MOU is redundant and potentially confusing.
Now, some environmental groups are worried that this action means there will be no active enforcement of environmental practices beyond the state waters, three miles from shore. The MOU used different boundaries that effectively extended its reach beyond state waters.
The cruise industry association says its members will continue to adhere to best environmental practices even without the MOU. And Norwegian Cruise Lines, the company operating interisland cruises, says it will continue to specifically honor the stricter requirements found in the MOU even if the actual document is canceled.
That's heartening and it makes sense. The industry knows one of its strongest selling points is that it adheres to "best practices" when it comes to protecting the environment.
Going forward, the state should consider strengthening its law to include the full level of protections and requirements found in the MOU, since the industry says it has no problem with those stricter standards.
And at that point, the state and the industry should sit down and come up with a plan to officially extend those protections beyond the state's legal boundary to wherever these ships sail in and around the Islands.
This is a case where cooperation and a common goal will best serve both the needs of this new industry as well as the environmental interests of Hawai'i.
