For that to happen, there must be proactive planning and verification that compliance is occurring. Which leads to the third goal of the legislation. And, that is treating the cruise ship industry just like every other major industry in Alaska. The cruise ship industry generates large quantities of wastes, more than many other fully regulated industries, yet has been virtually unregulated. The oil, mining, and fishing industries operating in Alaska must comply with comprehensive state, federal and often-local rules to ensure that their wastes do not foul Alaska s air and water.
Government sets the rules.
Industry has the primary obligation to comply. Government has the obligation to verify compliance. It s a well-tried system of checks and balances. It s time that the cruise ship industry play by the same rules. This includes paying for the costs.