H.J. Res 213—introduced by Rep. James Gallagher (R-CA)—would void the California Air Resource Board’s Commercial Harbor Craft regulation (CHC) that will bring the west coast’s petroleum delivery supply chain to a halt and result in gas price hikes.
- Trading off-the-shelf technology for an off-the-charts mandate. Tugboats and barges produce lower engine emissions than all other freight transportation modes. CHC mandates engine upgrades that are prohibitively expensive to install and maintain—and which the U.S. Coast Guard has deemed unsafe for this class of vessels.
- The choice to comply or close down. CHC mandates force owners to comply with new engine mandates or remove their vessels from service. It’s already had a negative impact: a 2025 tugboat shortage resulted in prolonged waiting times for incoming cargo ships—and additional fees for consumer goods. Offshore petroleum barge operators face astronomical costs of bringing their entire fleets into compliance or simply shutting down operations in California.
- Fewer vessels + costlier transportation options = increased consumer pain. Should offshore transportation of petroleum products—including aviation gas to the state’s largest international airports—come to a halt, the cost of gasoline in California would increase between $0.18 and $0.48 per gallon. That’s because refiners would be forced to rely on slower, low-volume, and inefficient transportation options.
- Good for CARB, not for the nation. CARB environmental standards have a proven record of dictating the equipment choices for the rest of the nation. Vessel owners in other states should have the ability to make upgrades on their own terms and timetables rather than having their choices constrained by a California regulatory agency.
- Don’t say we didn’t try. California vessel owners, with the assistance of maritime labor unions, proposed common-sense CHC adjustments with CARB. When that didn’t work, owners worked with members of the California Assembly on CHC reform legislation that received near-unanimous support—only to be vetoed by Gov. Newsom.
