GLIN==> MEDIA: New Ballast Rules Begin to Close Front Door to Aquatic Invaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Release
December 3, 2009


New Ballast Rules Begin to Close Front Door to Aquatic Invaders
Strengthening the implementation of strong standards is critical

BUFFALO -- After years of reliance on ballast water exchange by the 
Coast Guard, legal evasion by the Environmental Protection Agency, and 
futile debate by Congress, a new Coast Guard rulemaking would make 
significant strides to ensure ballast water discharges to U.S. waters, 
including the Great Lakes, no longer introduce aquatic invasive species. 
The comment period for the Coast Guard's ballast water rulemaking ends 
this Friday, December 4, 2009.

Five conservation groups submitted detailed comments on the Coast 
Guard's effort to better regulate invasive species. They cite 
particularly strong aspects, including: that the proposed final standard 
is 1000 times stronger than the International Maritime Organization's 
ballast water standard; the rule's applicability to, and regulation of, 
lakers; and, explicit protection of the authority of the Clean Water Act 
and states. But the groups also note significant weaknesses and 
loopholes in the proposed rule that need to be addressed for the strong 
standards to be effective.

"The Coast Guard rulemaking presents a tremendous opportunity to improve 
protections from invasive species being discharged into the Great Lakes 
from ballast," said Jennifer Nalbone, Campaign Director for Navigation 
and Invasive Species with Great Lakes United. "The final standards 
proposed are one thousand times more stringent than what the 
international community is considering. We are poised to set a global 
precedent in protection from invasive species."

"It will be impossible to restore the Great Lakes if we don't both shut 
the door on invasive species and control their spread," said Chad Lord, 
policy director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. "The 
Coast Guard's regulation of invasive species spread by lakers and 
salties together will help reverse the decline of the Great Lakes and 
protect our communities and economy."

"The urgent threat of invasive species requires all hands on deck, 
including both the Coast Guard and the EPA," said Henry Henderson, 
Midwest Regional Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We 
need a strong, coherent federal program that takes advantage of both the 
Coast Guard's expertise in vessels and EPA's expertise in water quality."

The groups attest that the greatest weaknesses in the rules include a 
slow start where existing vessels would not have to install technology 
until 2016 or possibly later. In addition, a "practicability" loophole 
could delay implementation of the final standard on some vessels for 22 
years, until 2031, or possibly even longer.

"We're disappointed the Coast Guard is manning a slow boat toward the 
final standard. The draft rule would allow vessels in operation to delay 
installing even mediocre technology until 2016 or later," said Joel 
Brammeier, acting president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. 
"Companies are chomping at the bit to get technology on board ships. We 
want better and we need faster."

"If the Coast Guard is serious about slamming the door on invasive 
species, it will strengthen its ballast water standard, accelerate 
implementation and remove loopholes from the permit," said Andy 
Buchsbaum, regional executive director for the National Wildlife 
Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center. "We need strong medicine to 
stop this disease, and we need it fast. The Coast Guard rule could be 
that medicine - but right now it's too slow and it has too many loopholes."

The groups call on the Coast Guard to:

    * *Strengthen Phase One standards. *Technology performance is
      rapidly evolving and has exceeded the mediocre IMO standards the
      Coast Guard proposes to initially require.
    * *Shorten timelines for implementation.* Bring Phase One standards
      into force by January 1, 2012, and Phase Two by January 1, 2016.
    * *Tighten up the practicability review.* Improvements such as a
      continuous review process and enhanced transparency are needed to
      ensure the practicability review process does not become a loophole.
    * *Verify in freshwater.* For treatment and technologies being used
      in the Great Lakes, systems must be tested and proven effective in
      a truly freshwater system.
    * *Address the whole ship vector.* Regulations must require the
      Coast Guard to address invasive species carried on anchors, anchor
      chains, and hulls.
    * *Enforce. *Establish a rigorous monitoring and inspection program
      to determine compliance with the new regulations.

The dangers that ballast water poses for the introduction of aquatic 
invaders have been recognized for well over a century. With the opening 
of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, these risks became a reality. Since 
then, ocean vessels have become the number one way that invasive 
species, such as the zebra mussel and round goby, have been introduced 
into the Great Lakes. Today, these invaders cost us over 200 million 
dollars every year by damaging the commercial and recreational fisheries 
and increasing maintenance costs to industries and municipalities who 
draw Great Lakes water. Meanwhile, the toll on the environment has been 
tremendous. They have eroded the bottom of the Great Lakes food chain 
and been implicated in everything from botulism outbreaks to toxic algae 
blooms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Individuals and organizations are urged to submit comments before the 
period closes on December 4. *
/*For advice visit,
http://www.glu.org/en/action/tell-coast-guard-implement-strict-ballast-clean-rules*/
------------------------------------------------------------------------

/To review the five organization's comments visit:
http://www.glu.org/en/press/new-ballast-rules-begin-close-front-door-aquatic-invaders/

/Additional background can be found at: 
www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg522/cg5224/bwm.asp 
<http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg522/cg5224/bwm.asp>/

/This proposed rulemaking (docket number USCG-2001-10486) can be found 
at: 
www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#docketDetail?R=USCG-2001-10486 
<http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#docketDetail?R=USCG-2001-10486%20>/

Contacts:

Jennifer Nalbone, Director, Navigation and Invasive Species, Great Lakes 
United
Phone: (716)213-0408; email: jen at glu.org <mailto:jen at glu.org>

Chad Lord, Policy Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Phone: (202) 454-3385; email: clord at npca.org <mailto:clord at npca.org>

Josh Mogerman, Communications, Natural Resources Defense Council
Phone: (312)651-7909; email: jmogerman at nrdc.org 
<mailto:jmogerman at nrdc.org%20>

Joel Brammeier, Acting President and CEO, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Phone: (312) 939-0838 x 224; email: JBrammeier at greatlakes.org 
<mailto:JBrammeier at greatlakes.org%20>

Andrew Buchsbaum, Regional Executive Director, National Wildlife Federation
Phone: (734) 887-7100; email: buchsbaum at nwf.org <mailto:buchsbaum at nwf.org>

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