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Advocates reach invasive species deal with EPA
Advocacy groups say they have reached a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a legal dispute over discharges of ship ballast water that could contain invasive species.
The agreement was filed Tuesday in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. It requires the EPA to issue a new permit regulating ballast dumping by commercial vessels.
"Over the years, ballast water has brought many invasive species to the Great Lakes and has had many devastating effects on the ecosystem," said Jennifer Birchfield, water program director for Save the Dunes in Michigan City.
A dozen environmental groups went to court in 2009, contending the agency's existing permit isn't strong enough to protect coastal waters and the Great Lakes.
"The Great Lakes have been global ground zero for freshwater invasions for decades," said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago, one of the groups involved in the suit. "U.S. EPA's first cut at a permit didn't even come close to stemming the onslaught. We're heartened the agency appears to be getting serious about preventing new invasions before they happen."
Ballast water is considered the leading culprit in a flood of invasive species such as zebra mussels that have reached U.S. waters in recent decades. They compete with native species for food and cause billions in economic losses.
Birchfield from Save the Dunes acknowledged the complaints of the shipping industry about the cost involved in regulating ballast water.
"Zebra mussels, for example, once they infest a facility, the cost the facility incurs from things like clogged intake pipes is enormous," Birchfield said. "The most cost-effective way for us to deal with invasive species is to simply prevent them from reaching us in the first place."
Among the groups party to the settlement were the National Wildlife Federation, Indiana Wildlife Federation, League of Ohio Sportsmen, Minnesota Conservation Federation, Prairie Rivers Network, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Ohio Environmental Council, Northwest Environmental Advocates, Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council and People for Puget Sound.
-- Times Staff Writer Lauri Harvey Keagle contributed to this report.
Advocacy groups say they have reached a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a legal dispute over discharges of ship ballast water that could contain invasive species.
The agreement was filed Tuesday in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. It requires the EPA to issue a new permit regulating ballast dumping by commercial vessels.
"Over the years, ballast water has brought many invasive species to the Great Lakes and has had many devastating effects on the ecosystem," said Jennifer Birchfield, water program director for Save the Dunes in Michigan City.
A dozen environmental groups went to court in 2009, contending the agency's existing permit isn't strong enough to protect coastal waters and the Great Lakes.
"The Great Lakes have been global ground zero for freshwater invasions for decades," said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago, one of the groups involved in the suit. "U.S. EPA's first cut at a permit didn't even come close to stemming the onslaught. We're heartened the agency appears to be getting serious about preventing new invasions before they happen."
Ballast water is considered the leading culprit in a flood of invasive species such as zebra mussels that have reached U.S. waters in recent decades. They compete with native species for food and cause billions in economic losses.
Birchfield from Save the Dunes acknowledged the complaints of the shipping industry about the cost involved in regulating ballast water.
"Zebra mussels, for example, once they infest a facility, the cost the facility incurs from things like clogged intake pipes is enormous," Birchfield said. "The most cost-effective way for us to deal with invasive species is to simply prevent them from reaching us in the first place."
Among the groups party to the settlement were the National Wildlife Federation, Indiana Wildlife Federation, League of Ohio Sportsmen, Minnesota Conservation Federation, Prairie Rivers Network, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Ohio Environmental Council, Northwest Environmental Advocates, Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council and People for Puget Sound.
-- Times Staff Writer Lauri Harvey Keagle contributed to this report.