Environmentalists, Shipping Industry At Odds On House Ballast Water Bill

Conservationists say a provision within a U.S. House defense spending bill could lead to the spread of more invasive species in the Great Lakes. But, the shipping industry says the measure simplifies the regulatory process.

House Republicans recently tucked a provision into a $603 billion defense bill that would set a nationwide standard for treating water dumped from ships` ballast tanks. According to National Wildlife Federation policy director Marc Smith, the U.S. Coast Guard would have sole authority over discharges rather than the joint oversight that currently exists between the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency....