THE State of Alaska is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Coast Guard and the State Department over the legality of new regulations that will enforce the use of costly low-sulphur fuel in ships sailing 200 miles off Alaska from August 1, Reuters reports.

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Anchorage, challenges the new regulation, estimated to increase shipping costs eight per cent, on the grounds that the agencies are illegally imposing a UN treaty amendment as US law ahead of needed legislative approval.



Enforcement of the UN treaty amendment is not permitted without ratification by two-thirds of the Senate, Assistant Alaska Attorney General Seth Beausang said. He also said the EPA erred by failing to conduct an environmental impact study.



The treaty at issue is a 2010 agreement under the United Nation's International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). The US has signed onto MARPOL, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accepted the 2010 amendment.



Said Alaska Attorney General Michael Geraghty: "Alaska relies on maritime traffic, both for goods shipped to and from the state, and for the cruise ship passengers who support thousands of Alaskan jobs. There are equally effective alternatives to consider which would still protect the environment but dramatically reduce the severe impact these regulations will have on Alaskan jobs and families."



The lawsuit names as defendants the EPA and its director, Lisa Jackson, the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Janet Napolitano, the Coast Guard and its commandant, Admiral Robert Papp and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.