BALLAST WATER

LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE

• (H.R. 1154, S. 168) These bills would direct the Coast Guard to establish national regulations for ballast water discharges under the National Invasive Species Act. The resulting standards would supersede the Environmental Protection Agency’s ballast water regulations under the Clean Water Act and preempt most rulemaking at the state level. The EPA regulates ballast water and other incidental discharges from ships, such as gray water and rainwater runoff from decks.

BILL STATUS

• House: Rep. Hunter (R-Calif.) introduced H.R. 1154, which has 29 Republican and five Democratic co-sponsors.
• Senate: Sen. Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced S. 168, ...