Coast Guard proposal would give some ships 22 years to disinfect ballast tanks that infect the Great Lakes with invasive species 

November 17, 2009
Jeff Alexander

The U.S. Coast Guard on Dec. 4 will stop taking public comment on a proposed rule that would give some ships until 2031 to disinfect ballast water tanks that carry harmful invasive species into the Great Lakes.

The Coast Guard’s ballast water treatment rule, proposed on Aug. 28, would require all ships operating in U.S. waters to rid ballast water tanks of most aquatic life. The rule would be implemented in a two-phase process.

Great Lakes protection delays

“The final standards are very good, but the schedule is much too long, excusing some ships from meeting the final standards until 2031,” said Andy Buchsbaum, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Natural Resource Center.

“That’s decades too late for the Great Lakes,” Buchsbaum said. “It’s like giving a patient powerful medicine, but only after he’s dead.”

Invasive species entering the Great Lakes

Ocean freighters that enter the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway have imported 57 invasive species — including zebra mussels, quagga mussels and round gobies — since the Seaway opened in 1959.

Those invaders now cause between $200 million and $400 million damage annually in the Great Lakes; some are spreading to lakes and rivers across North America.

Not rocket science 

On the surface, it appears that the Coast Guard rule would require all ships operating in U.S. waters to meet final ballast water discharge standards by 2021.

But there’s a catch: Based on when ships go into dry-dock for repairs, shipping companies could be given up to 10 additional years (until 2031) to meet the final ballast water discharge standards.

To put things in perspective, consider this: It took the United States just 11 years to put a man on the moon in the 1960s — from the inception of research to completion of the mission.


Take action: The Great Lakes can't afford to wait

Send a message to the US Coast Guard.

Ask the Coast Guard to strengthen and pass the ballast water rules to protect the Great Lakes and all US waters!