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Overreach On The High Seas?: Whether Federal Maritime Law Preempts California's Vessel Fuel Rules , Bradley D. Easterbrooks

Pepperdine Law Review

This Comment addresses whether California’s Vessel Fuel Rules, which require all foreign and U.S. flagged vessels traveling within twenty-four miles of California's coastline to use low-sulfur content fuels, is preempted by the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. More specifically, this Comment addresses whether the Clean Air Act, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Submerged Lands Act, and/or general principles of federal maritime law prohibit the California Air Resources Board from enforcing its Vessel Fuel Rules against vessels engaged in maritime commerce in navigable waters, particularly waters beyond the three-mile band beyond the California …