A science-based solution to ballast water
If you live or work near any of the Great Lakes, you’ve probably seen some of our tugboats and barges gliding across the water.
The largest of these barges are capable of carrying 23,000 tons of dry cargo, the equivalent of 210 rail cars or 920 semi-trucks. Annually, American maritime companies such as Brennan Marine Inc. move 164 million metric tons of essential raw materials and finished products on the Great Lakes.
Farmers, food producers, manufacturing, construction and power companies and the communities they serve depend upon the safe, efficient, and environmentally sound delivery of these vital cargoes.
At Brennan Marine. we know that delivering our customers’ cargo safely and efficiently is just one part of our mission. We also need to protect the environment in which we operate.
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The domestic maritime industry is the safest, most energy efficient, and environmentally friendly mode of commercial transportation in the nation.
That’s why we are pushing for passage of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), or S.373. This bipartisan legislation will spur the development of technologies to enhance existing protections against the advance of invasive species in the Great Lakes, a goal that builds on the domestic maritime industry’s ongoing commitment to clean waterways.
VIDA would enact a single national standard that provides the highest level of protection available to regulate ballast water and other incidental vessel discharges. This is necessary because the current conflicting and redundant patchwork of federal and more than 125 state regulations doesn’t serve the waterways, the economy or the American taxpayer well.
VIDA will eliminate the duplication and uncertainty that make maritime transportation less efficient and make it hard for businesses like ours to make investments in new technologies.
The U.S. maritime industry and companies like Brennan Marine have been partners with government in the effort to halt the advance of invasive species, while working with nonprofits and research institutes to develop the next generation technologies for vessel discharges.
S.373 will preserve this strong culture of environmental protection and the effective industry and government efforts that, since the introduction of ballast water exchange in 2006, have helped to prevent the introduction of new invasive species in the Great Lakes.
The current federal ballast water treatment standard — deemed by EPA’s independent Science Advisory Board to be the toughest currently achievable — is the regulatory floor of the bill, ensuring that there is no reduction in the standard of protection for the Great Lakes or any waterway in the United States.
The bill also keeps in place the Coast Guard’s ballast water exchange regulations for oceangoing vessels that enter the Lakes until they install proven treatment technology, and provides a process for reviewing and raising treatment standards over time as technology improves.
The domestic maritime industry provides many benefits to Great Lakes states. Farmers, construction companies, manufacturers, and power companies in the communities we serve depend upon the safe and reliable delivery of their cargoes. And our vessels provide an environmental benefit by moving more cargo with less fuel and emissions, while reducing congestion on the highways and railways.
S.373 builds upon the best of what’s worked as the foundation for an enduring structure that will improve water quality and ensure safe and efficient maritime transportation on the Lakes in the future.
Adam Binsfeld is the chief operating officer for Brennan Marine Inc. based in La Crosse.