Catalina ferry from Newport Harbor might suspend operations, citing state air laws

The Catalina Flyer, a popular 500-passenger catamaran that makes daily trips to Santa Catalina Island from the Balboa Pavilion, may halt operations for a few months to buy and install a new engine that complies with a state environmental law.

Bob Black, general manager for the tour boat company, said that unless he's able to find a catamaran to lease, he may suspend service to Avalon as early as Sept. 12.

"I'm not thrilled about having to do this, but it's something we've got to do," said Black, referring to the purchase of a pair of engines that will cost him nearly $1 million.

The boat ferries hundreds of passengers each day to Catalina Island then back to Newport Harbor.

With one-way trips taking about an hour and 15 minutes, the Catalina Flyer is the fastest commercial service from here to the island, according to its website.

Even though Black said the ship's engine is in fine shape and he doesn't believe it is polluting the waters, the state requires all commercial vessels to be equipped with new engines that reduce emissions in compliance with the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation.

The purpose of the law, which was adopted Nov. 15, 2007, by the California Air Resources Board, is to reduce the amount of pollution caused by diesel engines on commercial harbor craft that operate within 24 nautical miles of the California coast.

Read the full Daily Pilot story here.

-- Tom Ragan, Times Community News

Photo credit: Don Leach / Times Community News

Comments

[London]

People's Republic of California.

[West Valley Dave]

Just another example of the anti-business, tree hugging legislature. And who do you think is really going to pay for this new $1,000,000 engine? The consumer, of course.

[sailbyme]

Green into recession. I guess it's better to be green and put people out of jobs. What a joke.

[Rene]

CARB has been nothing but a big drain on california and its people. WE need to get rid of them before they cause us our jobs.

[Ed M.]

Considering what the Flyer charges passengers for a simple trip across the channel, I think they can afford it.

[Doug Stewart]

Another victim of the state's environmental laws causing companies to close or move out of state. While the state is drowning in red ink, these idiots in Sac are allowing these kind of job-killing regulations to do their damage. One more cool thing squashed by the kooks.

[Joe]

Not to worry. The people most affected will be the estimated 80% of the population of Catalina Island who are illegals.

[chatmandu]

I love how California is always shooting itself in the foot. LMAO

[Tom]

Yesterday it was a leftist enviro-wacko with a gun and bombs at Discovery network, today it's a board of leftist enviro-wackos cloaked in the title California Air Resources Board attacking hard working ordinary citizens using theforce of it's own rulings. CARB is an unelected (and fascist) and held responsible to no one, yet they've been granted the power to eliminate the source of your livelihood and destroy lives. Keep in mind, these stories are just beginning, for as CARB continues to issue it's fatwas against working families and your personal freedoms, they will increase ten fold if Proposition 23 is not passed.

[cencoast]

And how many jobs will be lost because of this ?

[Bob]

I am really saddened by all the comments against environmentalists and environmental laws. Don't you realize that these laws are keeping your air, and indeed your world, clean, for you and for your children?

Are you old enough to remember the dirty basin air of the 1960s? I am. At times, your eyes would weep. Red eyes were common. Lead paint was also common. So was DDT.

Environmentalists and environmental laws help to protect our health and make the world clean and beautiful. A world worth living in.

[james andrews]

We need to get rid of CARB and pass prop23

[PerpetualEeyore]

It's good to see the lobbyists for Prop 23 figured out how to create multiple accounts on the Times site and complain voraciously about job loss on an article about the Catalina Ferry. And really, at an average of $70 per ticket (only $50 for children 2-11!), how many people were rushing to Catalina on any given day of the week? I'm guessing most families opted for one of 1,000 other less costly alternatives...

[AdoptiveFather, Los Angeles CA]

Another barbara boxer jobs bill.

[All-Hallows-Eve]

The Green Police are coming to arrest me . . .

[Dudley]

The new engines can only burn the low sulfur diesel fuel while the older engines can burn any thing diesel including home heating oil which has a very high sulfur content. The new engines are very touchy, break down on a regular basis and will actually put more co2 into the atmosphere. They should check the emissions of both engines to see if the change is justified.

[Robert NO longer in LA]

3 YEARS of dodging responsibility AND POCKETING PROFITS?????

[LKF]

Once again CARB to the rescue... Correction: CARB to the destruction of jobs. AB32 is a scam and CARB is too. People in California need to wake up and realize CARB is out to destroy our economy and they are being aided and abbetted by the liberals in Sacramento. That includes Arnold.

[Tom]

Sorry Perprtualeyesore, I am not a lobbyist for Proposition 23, just a normal, hard working, native born, American citizen working for a company which has been forced over the last to six years to locate the majority of its LIGHT industrial manufacturing operations elsewhere. We employ about 300 employees in total. Six years ago 250 of those 300 were in California. Now, with CARB, SCAQMD, CAL OSHA, and the tax and spend dems in the legislature kicking our butts through their regulations on what is literally a daily basis, we employ 100 in California. Within a year, that will become 30 as we move all of our production operations elsewhere in the U.S. Most of the employees will relocate, and take their salaries and tax dollars with them. We've just started a new distribution business this month - in NEVADA, and that is where those jobs will be. We meet all current California environmental requirements, and as we relocate equipment to other states, we relocate that compliant equipment to other states as well. Proposition 23's passing won't keep us here, but it WILL prevent other jobs from leaving the state; a state which CAN NOT afford any more job losses as it has the third highest unemployment rate in the nation and has massive state budget gaps (which will get even worse as employers vote with their feet). The air and water in California is better than it was 40 years ago, even with many more cars and petple in the state. We are not the fools you believe we are - we want great air, water and quality of life for our children and future generations, and we conservatives breathe the same air you envirnmental facists breathe. Leave us alone and regulate your own lives.

[jgc711]

even with all the legislation out there, i can still breathe bad air...this is just a money making scheme same as the smog test...get rid of all of these before small businesses close shop...

[Catalina Blue]

You'll notice he's not closing down, it's just another cost of doing business. Eventually it'll be made back. People love that ride, and they're going to Catalina on their days off whether it's a few bucks extra or not. It'll work itself out.

[musicdude]

should create jobs for boat engine makers. there are multiple ways for people to get to catalina (eg: a ferry that goes from long beach), so no one's business should be hurt except maybe the flyer's, and they're the ones choosing to do this! In fact, they might even end up saving money by spending less on fuel.

^Conservatives can like the economics of green technology too!

[snoboardp]

Ya know... someone made those engines which are being installed. That's not a job being created or anything...

[Eric]

What's the problem here? This is temporary and no one said people are losing jobs. Those wishing to travel to Catalina can just go to Dana Point, Long Beach, or San Pedro to catch another ferry.

Moreover, doesn't the development, manufacture, and installation of new, greener technologies create numerous jobs? Forced innovation is not necessarily a bad thing.

[pete]

The law's ok, but couldn't they have waited for the winter months to require the change of engine?