From:            Jim Bernthal
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           [EXTERNAL] My written comment on resuming cruise ship operations at the Port of Seattle
Date:              Tuesday, May 25, 2021 9:11:02 AM

WARNING: External email. Links or attachments may be unsafe.
Dear Port of Seattle Commissioners:
I am writing this as my contribution to public comments during your Port Commission meeting
today, May 25, 2021. I would make this comment during the virtual meeting, but I am unable
to be there at your 12pm meeting time, so I want my comment to be part of the record, and
for you to give it your seriousconsideration.
My comment comes after hearing that you are considering reopening cruise line operations in
our Port of Seattle within 2 months. I strongly oppose that decision, for a number of reasons.
I will mention several of them here:
Cruise ships are worsening the climate crisis we are in, because they emit
largequantities of greenhouse gases. They alsocreate many kinds of harmful pollution:
noise pollution impacting our orca and whale populations, toxic emissions of
carcinogens, and particulate matter that impacts human health or even cause early
death.
During Seattle's 6-month cruise season, over half a million people fly here to go on
cruises. The airplane flights plus the cruise ships emit between 1.6 and 2.1 million tons
of greenhouse gasses, about a third as much as is emitted by the entire city of Seattle in
a whole year!
The Port of Seattle claims to want to be "the greenest port in North America'', yet it
continues to pursue building an additional cruise ship terminal. We should be moving in
the opposite direction. And the Port wants to expand the airport, and expand/deepen
our harbor to accommodate the world's biggest cargo ships. The Port frequently brings
up shore power in response to the argument that we shouldn't be expanding fossil fuel
intensive industry while the climate crisis continues, with scientists giving us less than
10 years to kick our fossil fuel addiction. Shore power only reduces the total
greenhouse gas impact from a roundtrip voyage by less than 1%!
Lastly the global pandemic continues.Even if all on board are vaccinated, the
communities where cruise ships dock may not be adequately vaccinated. Particulate
matter, like that emitted by ship smokestacks, was found to spread the virus.
Communities near air pollution sources were found to be hit harder; their people
experience worse symptoms, hospitalizations, and death rates.

Please do the right thing and do NOT reopen the Port to cruise ship operations. I would like to
hear back from you regarding my comments and the decisions you are making related to
them. Thanks for listening.
Jim Bernthal
4733 46th Ave. S.
Seattle, WA 98118
jimbernthal@hotmail.com
206.295.6891