U.S. Coast Guard prepares for dry cargo residue discharge actions on Great Lakes

U.S. Coast Guard prepares for dry cargo residue discharge actions on Great Lakes    The U.S. Coast Guard warned that initiation of a rulemaking for controlled discharges of dry cargo residues into the Great Lakes will likely not be finished before the expiration of the current enforcement policy, effective Oct. 1, 2004.
   The 1997 U.S. enforcement policy related to non-hazardous and non-toxic residues washed over board by U.S.-flag Great Lakes carriers expires on Sept. 30. If the new regulations are not in place by Sept. 30, the Coast Guard said it will enforce the current statute prohibiting these discharges, starting Oct. 1.
      A Coast Guard study recommended that the current practice of allowing U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessels to discharge their incidental cargo residues into certain parts of the Lakes be allowed. However the agency recommended an environmental assessment be performed on the long-term effects of the practice.
      “The analyses would assist in determining whether the regulations regarding the discharge of dry cargo residues in the Great Lakes should reflect past practice, prohibit discharges altogether, or allow for some other course of action,” the Coast Guard said.
   Under the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), dry cargo residues and cargo sweepings are considered to be garbage. Strict application of the MARPOL interpretive guideline adopted by the United States the following year banned the discharge of dry cargo residue and sweepings in the Great Lakes.