Standards for living organisms in ships’ ballast water discharged in U.S. waters

Docket Management Facility (M-30)

U.S. Department of Transportation

West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200

New Jersey Avenue, SE.,

Washington, DC 20590-0001

Re: Docket # USCG-2001-10486: Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water

discharged in U.S. Waters

To Whom It May Concern:

The undersigned members of the Waterkeeper Alliance appreciate the opportunity to review and

provide comments on the U.S. Coast Guard’s proposed rulemaking “Standards for Living Organisms

in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged into U.S. Waters” (Docket #: USCG-2001-10486). Our

organizations represent thousands of citizens throughout the world who are deeply concerned about

the impact aquatic invasive species are having on our planet’s water resources.

Aquatic invasive species are one of the most significant threats to our water resources today. These

invaders are more than just pests. They are threatening our local and regional economies and way of

life. The cost to the United States’ economy alone is estimated to be more than $100 billion per year.

The costs to our nation’s ecosystems, fisheries, and native habitats are immeasurable.

Impacts from aquatic invasive species introductions are being felt on ecosystems large and small.

For example, the health of the San Francisco Bay ecosystem is highly compromised due to human

activities, which makes it especially vulnerable to invasion. Successful invaders can thrive in

degraded ecosystems, pushing out struggling native species. Consequently, the San Francisco Bay is

one of the most invaded estuaries in the world. The established non-indigenous species populations

have effectively altered the ecological fabric of the Bay to the detriment of important native species

and commercial fisheries that rely on the Bay for different stages of their life cycle.

And, in many areas the rate of aquatic invasive species introductions can be directly linked with

shipping traffic. For example, since 1959, when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened the St. Lawrence

River and Great Lakes to direct ocean-going shipping, 65% of the more than 180 non-native species

discovered have been attributed to ballast water release. Scientists have shown that the rate of

discovery of invaders is directly correlated with shipping activity.

While the U.S. Coast Guard’s process to develop national ballast standards has taken longer than

anticipated, we are pleased that a proposed standard has finally been published and we respectfully

submit our comments and recommendations below.

Ballast Discharge Standards

We are pleased that the U.S. Coast Guard has proposed a final standard that is 1000 times stronger

than the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standard and matches the strongest standards in

the United States set by California and New York.

However, we are disappointed that the proposed Phase One standard is only equivalent to the

International Maritime Organization’s standard. The National Invasive Species Act (NISA), which is

the statute that led to the proposed rule, requires the standard to be the "maximum extent

practicable". Various reports have stated that technologies and methods to meet a higher standard are

available. For example, a method already exists to improve performance of IMO approved

treatments by 10 to 100 times by applying ballast water exchange before the use of IMO approved

technology. And the California State Lands Commission determined that treatments are likely

available that will meet a standard three orders of magnitude stricter than the IMO standards. The

rule must be revised so that any interim standards are more stringent than standards set by the IMO

and, as required by NISA, any interim standards must be at the “maximum extent practicable”.

Additionally, the rule should be revised to remove ‘grandfather’ clauses, which creates the risk that

phase one performance standards will be in place on many vessels for the long term, essentially

becoming the defacto final standard for a subset of vessels.

Timeline

While overall we are pleased with the strong, final standard proposed in this rulemaking, we are

disappointed with the timelines put forth. As currently written, the rule would not require the

implementation of even Phase One technology until 2014 or 2016 at the earliest. Our waterways

need protection much sooner. Technology is currently available to meet a standard of 10 times IMO

and possibly even 100 times IMO. We urge the U.S. Coast Guard to require implementation of more

stringent Phase One discharge standards no later than January 1, 2012. Additionally, we urge the

U.S. Coast Guard to require implementation of Phase Two discharge standards no later than January

1, 2016. We recognize the technological challenges currently present in meeting the Phase Two

deadline; however, we feel that this should not provide an excuse for inaction. As we have seen time

and again, strong deadlines have the ability to spur technological advances.

We are deeply concerned about the proposed ‘practicability review’, which without a fixed deadline

could allow indefinite delays in implementation of a Phase Two standard. We urge the USCG to set

a firm final compliance date of no later than January 1, 2016.

Coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency

We are pleased with the recognition that vessels subject to this rulemaking are also subject to the

Environmental Protection Agency’s Vessel General Permit. We stress the need for active

coordination with the EPA as it fulfills its responsibilities under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to

regulate ballast water discharges to protect water quality. The Coast Guard and EPA need to work

together closely to create a coherent federal program for regulating ballast water that utilizes both

the Coast Guard’s expertise in vessels and EPA’s expertise in protecting water quality, particularly

in the development of control technology. All federal programs regulating ballast water discharges

must engage both agencies and fully comply with both NISA and the CWA.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. If you should have questions or need additional

information, please do not hesitate to contact, Jennifer Caddick, Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper.

Sincerely,

Alamosa Riverkeeper, Cindy Medina

P.O. Box 223, Capulin, CO 81124, (719) 274-4298

Altamaha Coastkeeper, Deborah Sheppard

P.O. Box 2642, Darien, GA31305, (912) 437-8164

Altamaha Riverkeeper, James Holland

P.O. Box 2642, Darien, GA31305, (912) 437-8164

Assateague Coastkeeper, Kathy Phillips

P.O. Box 731 Berlin, MD 21811, (443) 235-2014

Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, Eliza Smith Steinmeier

4901 Springarden Drive, Suite 3A, Baltimore, MD 21209, (410) 366-3038

Black Warrior Riverkeeper, Charles Scribner

712 37th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35222, (205)458-0095

Bogota Riverkeeper, German Garcia

Cr. 15 N° 95-35 Of. 202, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia (57)1481-8725

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Julie Barrett O'Neill

1250 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, (716) 852-7483

Cahaba Riverkeeper, Myra Crawford

4650 Old Looney Mill Road, Birmingham AL 35243, (205) 967-2600

Cape Fear Coastkeeper, Mike Giles

131 Racine Drive Suite 101, Wilmington, NC 28403, (910) 790-3275

Cartagena Baykeeper, Elizabeth Ramirez

Urbanizacion Buenavista Mza. A Lote 5, Avenida Crisanto Luque, Cartagena de Indias, Bolivar,

Colombia, (57) 31 5708 6022

Casco Baykeeper, Joe Payne

43 Slocum Drive, South Portland, ME 04106, (207) 799-8574

Catawba Riverkeeper, David Merryman

421 Minuet Ln. Ste. 205, Charlotte, NC 28217, (704) 679-9494

Chester Riverkeeper, Tom Leigh

100 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620, (410) 810-7665 x303

Choptank Riverkeeper, Drew Koslow

P.O. Box 1276, St. Michaels, MD 21663, (410) 745-8341

Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, Mike Mullen

207 Gail Street, Troy, AL 36079-2962, (334) 807-1365

Congaree Riverkeeper, Alan Mehrzad

P.O. Box 1534, Cayce, SC 29033, (803) 664-1651

Cook Inletkeeper, Bob Shavelson

P.O. Box 3269, 3734 Ben Walters Lane, Homer, AK 99603, (907) 235-4068 ext 22

Detroit Riverkeeper, Robert Burns

3020 Oakwood St., Melvindale, MI 48122, (734) 676-4626

Emerald Coastkeeper, Carol Moore

P.O. Box 13283, Pensacola, FL 32591, (850) 429-8422

Fraser Riverkeeper, Lauren Hornor

#303-207 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1H8, Canada, (778) 737-4422

French Broad Riverkeeper, Hartwell Carson

P.O. Box 15488, Asheville, NC 28813-0488, (828) 252-8474

Galveston Baykeeper, Charlotte Wells

P.O. Box 71, Seabrook, TX 77586, (281) 455-9595

Georgian Baykeeper, Mary Muter

291 Glengrove Avenue West, Toronto M5N 1W3, Canada, (416) 489 8101

Grand Riverkeeper, Oklahoma, Earl L. Hatley,

19257 S. 4403 Vinita, OK 74301, (918) 256-5269

Grand Riverkeeper, Labrador, Roberta Frampton Benefiel

Box 569, Station B, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, NL, Canada A0P1E0, (709) 896-4164

Grand Traverse Baykeeper, John Nelson

13272 S W Bay Shore Drive, Traverse City, MI 49684, (231) 935-1514

Guanabara Baykeeper, Sérgio Mattos-Fonseca

825 Macario Picanço St Maravista, Amoli, Itaipu, Niterói, RJ, Brazil 24.342-330 (55) 21 2609 8573

Hackensack Riverkeeper, Bill Sheehan

231 Main St. Hackensack, NJ 07601, (210) 968-0808 x10

Hudson Riverkeeper, Alex Matthiessen

828 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, (914)478-4501

Housatonic Riverkeeper, Tim Gray

PO Box 321, Lenoxdale, MA 01242, (413) 243-3353

Huallaga Central Waterkeeper, Gloria Cruzado-Labonte

Jr. Chiclayo 317, Tarapoto- San Martin, Peru, (51) 4278-0780

Hurricane Creekkeeper, John L. Wathen

P.O. Box 40836, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, (205) 507-0867

Lake George Waterkeeper, Chris Navitsky

P.O. Box 591, Lake George, NY 12845, (518) 668-5913

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Mark Mattson

410- 600 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 1M6 Canada, (416) 861-1237

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper, Jennifer Ekstrom

P.O. Box 732, Sandpoint, ID 83864, (208) 597-7188

Long Island Soundkeeper, Terry Backer

P.O. Box 4058, East Norwalk, CT 06855, (203) 854-5330

Louisiana Bayoukeeper, Tracy Kuhns

P.O. Box 207, Barataria, LA 70036, (504) 689-8849

Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, Paul Orr

P.O. Box 66323, Baton Rouge, LA 70896, (225) 928-1315

Lower Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin

1307 Country Club Road, New Bern, NC 28562, (252) 637-7972

Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Michael R. Helfrich

324 W Market St, York, PA 17401, (717) 779-7915

Maule Itata Coastkeeper, Rodrigo de la O Guerrero

Manuel Montt 349, Curanipe, Pelluhue - Maule – Chile, (56) 9935-6318

Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl Nenn

1845 N. Farwell Avenue, Suite 100, Milwaukee, WI 53202, (414) 287-0207 x229

Mobile Baykeeper, Casi Callaway

300 Dauphin Street, Suite 200, Mobile, AL 36602, (251) 433-4229

Monterey Coastkeeper, Steve Shimek

475 Washington Street, Suite A, Monterey, CA 93940, (831) 646-8837 x114

Narragansett Baykeeper, John Torgan

100 Save The Bay Drive, Providence RI 02905, (401) 272-3540 x 116

North Sound Baykeeper, Wendy Steffensen

2309 Meridian Street, Bellingham, WA 98225, (360) 733-8307

NY/NJ Baykeeper, Deborah A. Mans

52 West Front Street, Keyport, NJ 07735, (732) 888-9870

Ottawa Riverkeeper, Meredith Brown

2-379 Danforth Ave., Ottawa, ON Canada, (613) 321-1120

Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper, Heather Jacobs Deck

P.O. Box 1854, Washington, NC 27889, (252) 946-7211

Patuxent Riverkeeper, Fred Tutman

18600 Queen Anne Rd., Rear Barn, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, (301) 249-8200

Peconic Baykeeper, Kevin McAllister

10 Old Country Rd., P.O. Box 893, Quogue, NY 11959, (631) 653-4804

Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, Tim Van Hinte

P.O. Box 300, Moncton E1C 8K9, Canada, (506) 388-5337

Potomac Riverkeeper, Ed Merrifield

1717 Mass. Ave. NW #600, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 222-0707

Puget Soundkeeper, Bob Beckman

5309 Shilshole Ave. NW, Suite 215, Seattle, WA 98107, (206) 297-7002

Raritan Riverkeeper, Bill Schultz

P.O. Box 244, Keasbey, NJ 08832, (723) 442-6313

Russian Riverkeeper, Don McEnhill Jr.

P.O. Box 1335, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 433-1958

San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper, Gordon R. Hensley

EPI-Center, 1013 Monterey St., Suite 202, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, (805) 781-9932

San Francisco Baykeeper, Sejal Choksi

785 Market St. Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 856-0444

Santee Riverkeeper, Mark Bruce

3524 Princess Pond Road, Summerton, SC 29148, (803) 445-7701

Satilla Riverkeeper, John Carswell

P.O. Box 159, Waynesville, GA 31566, (912) 258-3678

Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Jeff Kelble

P.O. Box 405, Boyce, VA 22620, (540) 837-1479

Silver Valley Waterkeeper, Barbara Miller

120 W. Cameron, Ste. #7, Kellogg, ID 83837, (208) 784-8891

South County Coastkeeper, David Prescott

12 Broad St., Suite #6, Westerly, RI 02891, (401) 315-2709

South Riverkeeper, Diana Muller

2830 Solomons Island Rd., Ste. B Edgewater, MD 21037, (410) 224-3802

Spokane Riverkeeper, Rick Eichstaedt

35 West Main, Suite 330, Spokane, WA 99201, (509) 835-5211

St. Clair Channelkeeper, Doug Martz

38217 Cherry Lane, Harrison TWP, MI 48045, (586) 764-2443

St. Johns Riverkeeper, Neil Armingeon

2800 University Blvd. N, Jacksonville, FL 32211, (904) 256-7591

Tualatin Riverkeeper, Brian Wegener

12360 SW Main St. - Suite 100, Tigard, OR 97223, (503) 620-7507

Upper Neuse Riverkeeper, Alissa Bierma

112 South Blount Street, Suite 103, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 856-1180

Upper Rio Guayllabamba Waterkeeper, Rafael Chambers

Av. Gonzalez Suarez 894 - Oficina 10 PB, Quito-Pichincha, Ecuador (593) 9620-7490

Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper, Jennifer J. Caddick

409 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY 13624, (315) 686-2010

Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper, Dave Burden

P.O. Box 961, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-6182

Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Christine Ellis

1270 Atlantic Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, (843) 349-4007

Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper, Sandy Bihn

6565 Bayshore Rd., Oregon, OH 43618, (419) 691-3788

West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Chris Trumbauer

4800 Atwell Rd, #6, Shady Side, MD 20764, (410) 867-7171

White Oak-New Riverkeeper, Tess Sanders

P.O. Box 358, Jacksonville, NC 28540-0358, (910) 382-1370

Yadkin Riverkeeper, Dean Naujoks

2435 Westfield Ave., Winston-Salem, NC 27103, (336) 293-9078