By Bobby Hurst
For years, Senator Thom Tillis has sounded the alarm over China’s efforts to gain economic leverage over American industries. So it begs the question: Will the Senator oppose Congress trying to erase one of the few policies holding Chinese-owned vessels accountable at our ports?
Clean emissions technology in use at ports requires docked ships to plug into shore power or run cleaner fuel tech, meaning every ship has to check in with American personnel when they’re stopped at one of our ports. Without these policies in place, the vital checkpoint which surveils foreign vessels is gone, and suddenly China is back to circumventing our protocols and undercutting our country’s investments.
We’ve already witnessed China’s path of toxins, evidenced by the country’s shipping giant COSCO reporting hundreds of kilotons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually. Rolling back these waivers is a mistake that will resonate far beyond any one state’s ports, spelling a dangerous precedent for our own regulations.
North Carolina’s ports are the lifeblood of our economy. We don’t need Congress handing China an easy competitive and economic advantage, especially when it comes at the expense of our own communities. Senator Tillis should vote no on these resolutions and maintain the high standard the world has come to expect of our port infrastructure.
Senator Tillis Shouldn’t Give Foreign Vessels A Break
By Bobby Hurst
For years, Senator Thom Tillis has sounded the alarm over China’s efforts to gain economic leverage over American industries. So it begs the question: Will the Senator oppose Congress trying to erase one of the few policies holding Chinese-owned vessels accountable at our ports?
Clean emissions technology in use at ports requires docked ships to plug into shore power or run cleaner fuel tech, meaning every ship has to check in with American personnel when they’re stopped at one of our ports. Without these policies in place, the vital checkpoint which surveils foreign vessels is gone, and suddenly China is back to circumventing our protocols and undercutting our country’s investments.
We’ve already witnessed China’s path of toxins, evidenced by the country’s shipping giant COSCO reporting hundreds of kilotons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually. Rolling back these waivers is a mistake that will resonate far beyond any one state’s ports, spelling a dangerous precedent for our own regulations.
North Carolina’s ports are the lifeblood of our economy. We don’t need Congress handing China an easy competitive and economic advantage, especially when it comes at the expense of our own communities. Senator Tillis should vote no on these resolutions and maintain the high standard the world has come to expect of our port infrastructure.