Sign our petition asking California to phase out bunker fuels.
On November 7, 2007, a cargo ship, the Cosco Busan, leaked 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel into the waters of San Francisco Bay when the ship hit the Bay Bridge mooring. This toxic spill has created both an immediate environmental crisis and one that will affect the future of our Bay.
Bunker fuel literally comes from the bottom of the barrel when oil is refined and is more like toxic waste that can be burned than what we usually imagine as fuel. This toxic fuel is more than 1,000 times dirtier than the diesel fuel used in trucks and buses.
Bunker fuel — which powers many cruise and cargo ships — also pollutes the air and threatens human health in the Bay Area every day. In West Oakland, ships like the Cosco Busan, spew toxic bunker fumes into the community and schools every day. These communities suffer from extreme rates of asthma and serious health problems as a result.
It’s time for California to say NO to toxic bunker fuel, just as we have done for other kinds of fuels! Global Community Monitor and Oceans and Communities are calling on the State of California to require a complete phase-out of bunker fuel use.
We hope to gather at least a 1000 signatures in the next three months and present them to a variety of regulators and officials who have the power to end the use of bunker fuel in our state. When California has adopted more stringent regulations, the nation and the world will follow our lead.
Please sign our petition today. Your voice can make a difference.
Also, please consider making a donation to support our work to defend the oceans and the rights of coastal communities from large-scale industrial development.
