U.S. COAST GUARD TO DEVELOP STANDARDS FOR SHIP BALLAST WATER

U.S. COAST GUARD TO DEVELOP STANDARDS FOR SHIP BALLAST WATER    The U.S. Coast Guard will seek industry input into the development of ballast water treatment guidelines.
   The agency is required to regulate ballast water management under the 1990 Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act and the 1996 National Invasive Species Act. The goal is to prevent the spread of harmful, non-native aquatic pests in U.S. waters through ship ballast.
   The Coast Guard is expected to begin regulating ballast discharges using voluntary guidelines. If compliance is inadequate, then it is authorized by Congress to make the guidelines mandatory.
   Comments from the industry are due to the Coast Guard by June 3. For more information or questions, contact Dr. Richard Everett, project manager for the Coast Guard’s Office of Operating and Environmental Standards, at (202) 267-0214.