Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9185

Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act

West Coast Whale Protection and Ship Speed Program

Jun 8·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. No further actions or hearings have been scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While it has a clear goal, it is currently just a bill introduced in the House without broad bipartisan support yet. Most bills like this do not make it through the full legislative process.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 8726 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 8726 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill asks the government to create a voluntary program for large ships traveling along the West Coast. It encourages these ships to slow down to 10 knots or less in certain areas to keep from hitting whales and to lower underwater noise.
Shipping companies that participate would receive special awards and a logo they can use for marketing. This helps them show customers they are being environmentally friendly without the government having to pay them cash incentives.
Slowing down ships also helps the environment by burning less fuel. This reduces air pollution and greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
The program is strictly voluntary and does not force any company to change its speed. It also ensures that safety is the top priority and will not interfere with any directions given by the Coast Guard.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jun 8, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Jun 8, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act

Bill NumberHR 9185

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.