From The "Just In Time!" Dept. - EPA Agrees To Develop Ballast Water Rules To Stop Invasives

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Advocacy groups today said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to develop new regulations on ballast water in ships this year to help thwart the invasion of foreign invasive species.

The move came as part of an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit brought by a dozen environmental, conservation and fishing groups against the federal agency demanding that the government develop a single, strong system of regulations to control ballast water discharges. The agreement was filed today in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.

“This settlement should prompt EPA to treat ‘living pollution’ as aggressively as it would an oil spill or toxic release,” said Thom Cmar, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, in announcing the settlement.

Water moved in ships ballast has been blamed for transporting dozens of foreign species into U.S. ocean and Great Lakes ports and then spreading them around — from quagga mussels, ruffe and goby to the fish-killing VHS virus. The Twin Ports are considered among the more vulnerable because many ships, including oceangoing freighters, arrive empty or lightly loaded and must carry ballast water for stability when they come.

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/193321/