After the town of Bar Harbor, Maine voted to limit the number of cruise passengers that are allowed to visit to 1,000, local businesses tried to fight back.
After all, they were about to lose a good deal of revenue. Some opponents to the town’s passenger limit have said that the cap is so low that it will stop most cruise ships from calling on the port at all.
According to news reports, a federal court has denied the request of local businesses in the area.
River pilots and business leaders in Bar Harbor sued the town over the cruise ship restrictions earlier this year. They sought a court order to temporarily put a hold on the restrictive measures.
If the injunction were granted, it would have stopped Bar Harbor from limiting cruise passengers to 1,000 per day.
With the request denied, it will head back to federal court.
As it stands now, if there are more than 1,000 cruise passengers disembarking in one day, there will be fines issued.
Proponents of the limit, including some residents, argue that large numbers of cruise ship passengers overwhelm the town’s infrastructure and put a strain on local resources. They believe a smaller volume of visitors will allow for a more enjoyable experience for both residents and tourists.
The court’s decision allows Bar Harbor to proceed with enforcing the 1,000-passenger limit for now. However, the underlying legal challenge from APPLL (Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods) remains unresolved.
The Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL) is a non-profit that filed an injunction against the limiting ordinance.
