Cruise ship polluters
It’s a very big deal that Princess Cruise Lines was fined $40 million for dumping human waste at sea. That this illegal practice has been going on for nearly 10 years and the fine levied against Princess, a Carnival subsidiary, is an insult to those who abide by the law and genuinely believe operators truly care about the environment in which they operate.
Princess said in a statement after the fine, “we are extremely disappointed about the inexcusable actions of our employees who violated our policies and environmental law when they bypassed our bilge water treatment system and discharged untreated bilge water into the ocean.”
Rest assured these vessels operate under strictly monitored budgets that include categories for oil-residue disposal — oil residue would be what remained after legal disposal of bilge water. If vessel “A” spent $50,000 annually on disposal and vessels “B,” “C” and “D” spent $500,000 on disposal, and this went on for 10 years, there is no way it could possibly go unnoticed. Unless the entire Carnival fleet was operating in the same manner, and at least four other Princess vessels were found to have been operating similarly.
As a retired chief engineer, I know the U.S. Coast Guard has an incredible responsibility and, quite frankly, limited manpower. This is recognized in states such as Washington and California that provide additional monitoring and regulations through state agencies. In light of these latest findings, mandating port entry fees in Maine to fund such additional monitoring would not be unreasonable.
At any rate, we should all look at these operators in new light when the season picks up in the spring and they once again grace our ports with their presence.
James Economy
Dedham
Encourage age-friendly neighborhoods
I am a Rockland homeowner, now in my 60s. I moved to Rockland, in spite of the city’s high taxes, because I believe the benefits of living in the county seat and major service center are of great value. There will come a time for me when it would be safer for me to walk from place to place rather than drive. While I love the quiet and space of more spread-out places, my desire to live modestly in a world of limited resources encourages me to choose a city for my home.
I’d like to see sustainable small houses in Rockland mixed with the traditional large residences that occupy our neighborhoods. We don’t need senior housing as much as mixed-demographic housing, where young families help shovel snow for old folks who can help care for children. I want to live in a small house in Rockland from where I can walk to the library and stores — after my kids pull my driver’s license because my eyes are failing and my reaction time limited.
I don’t want to live in an age ghetto, but I no longer need four bedrooms and a front-to-back living room. There are a few sizable lots in town that could each host five to seven small houses with shared garden space. There are also a number of boat houses and carriage houses, from Rockland’s days of sail and horse, that could be converted into comfortable and affordable dwellings. We should encourage these smaller footprints.
Shlomit Auciello
Rockland
Award ceremony musings
I watched the Medal of Freedom awards last month, and I wondered a few things: Did the TV broadcasters pay us, meaning our treasury in Washington, for permission to broadcast the awards?
If I deduct the net worth of Belinda and Bill Gates from the total net worth of all those receiving awards, what is their average net worth?
What did the award event cost our treasury? This would include the cost of labor of the people involved, including the president’s time and all the other stuff — dinners, transportation, medals.
I also wondered whether any people earning less than $30,000 per year, who performed hours of volunteer work, were considered as potential recipients. I did not wonder long about this one.
Here’s a suggestion: Change Presidents Day to Volunteers Day.
Charlie Cameron
Addison