Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is lobbying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of Carnival Cruise Lines, according to a recent Baltimore Sun article.

The report goes on to say that the Miami-based cruise line has threatened to pull its ship from Baltimore over the upcoming Emissions Control Area (ECA) which requires ships within 200 miles of the U.S. and Canadian coast line to burner (more) expensive fuel to comply with emissions regulations.

Carnival is currently deployed year-round from Baltimore through April 2014.

On the other hand, both Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have received exemptions on the ECA based on ongoing scrubber development. A full report will appear in the 2013 Cruise Industry News Summer Quarterly Magazine, due out July 1.