Cruise Ship Program Laws and Regulations
- Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Statutes - AS 46.03.460 - 490
- Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Regulations - updated in 2018 - 18 AAC 69
- DEC Administrative Procedures - 18 AAC 15
- Air Quality Control Regulations- 18 AAC 50
- Certain Alaska Cruise Ship Operations - Article XIV (Federal)
The Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance (Cruise Ship) Program was established in July 2001 by AS 46.03.460 - AS 46.03.490. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) worked with a facilitator and a Negotiated Regulations Committee to draft regulations to accompany this law. The Committee held three face to face meetings to draft regulations. The regulations that were drafted by the Committee were taken through the formal rulemaking process that included a period for public comment. The regulations became effective November 15, 2002.
On July 8, 2004 the state law AS 46.03.460-46.06.490 was changed based on Chapter 153, SLA 04 which was passed by the Alaska Legislature. Changes were made in 2006 to state laws governing the operation and regulation of large cruise ships while those ships are in Alaska Marine waters. These changes passed with voter approval under Ballot Measure 2.
In 2013 state law was changed regarding large cruise ship permitting and the small cruise ship BMPs. The intent of HB 80 was to make small cruise ship Best Management Practices (BMP) permanent, however the BMP law expired at the end of 2015. SB 3 in 2017 reintroduced the BMP program.
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