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Dear Chair Randolph and Members of the Board,

Ships are one of the worst air polluters in California, and harbor
boats are one of the top three cancer risks for Californians living
near the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego and Oakland.
California must invest in clean technologies and stop investing in
diesel operated harbor boats.

I am specifically submitting this letter in support of funding for
UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps)
hydrogen-hybrid coastal research vessel project. This vessel will
reduce pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, while demonstrating
the viability of clean, nonpolluting zero-emission shipboard power
systems to the maritime industry. The vessel will feature an
innovative hybrid propulsion system that will use hydrogen fuel
cells to enable true zero-emission operations for 75 percent of the
ship's expeditions, supplemented by a conventional diesel-electric
power plant when additional range is required offshore.

Given the climate emergency that we are facing, we need bold
climate leadership -- and bold transformation of maritime power
systems that Scripps is working to demonstrate. 


This is a critical time to protect the health of port-side
communities, Californian families, and our environment.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.