The Nature Conservancy urges House to pass Ballast Water Legislation
Ballast Water Treatment Act will protect our waters from destructive invaders
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana —The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to vote Thursday on legislation supported by The Nature Conservancy that will block one of the top pathways through which invasive species are introduced to our nation’s lakes, rivers and seas. If passed, the Ballast Water Treatment Act will greatly limit further invasions which have already cost our economy billions in control efforts.
“Aquatic invasive species pose a serious threat to our economy and our native plants and animals here in Indiana,” said Mary McConnell, state director for the Indiana Chapter. “Urgent action is needed to stop introductions of additional invasive species. This legislation is a critical means to block one of the most important pathways through which invasive species are introduced.”
The Ballast Water Treatment Act, being considered as part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, will stop the spread of invasive species through shipping by 2015. Sponsored by Congressmen Oberstar (D-MN) and LaTourette (R-OH), the legislation requires ships in U.S. waters to install ballast treatment systems to eradicate invasive species carried in ships ballast water, and to implement best management practices to address other ways in which invasive species can be spread from ships. The legislation also creates new authority coordinated across federal agencies to quickly detect and respond to aquatic invasive species from all sources.
The nation’s oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds are increasingly at risk from invasive species – these are non-native species which when introduced to a new area by human intervention, can spread unchecked, displacing native plants and animals. The impacts of some species already introduced through shipping—such as spiny water flea and zebra mussel—have proved devastating.
To better address the economic and environmental impacts of invasive species in Indiana, last year the Indiana General Assembly’s Legislative Council assigned the Natural Resources Study Committee the task of providing findings and recommendations on strategies for prevention, early detection, control and management of invasive species to minimize these impacts. As a result the members of the Natural Resources Study Committee, chaired by Rep. Robert Bischoff (D-Greendale) created the Invasive Species Task Force. The Task Force is made up of a variety of stakeholders who have been meeting since last year and are close to finishing their findings and recommendations. The Task Force concept came about from two resolutions offered by Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute) and Senator Sue Landske (R-Cedar Lake).
“Ships are the single greatest source for the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes,” according to Dr. David Lodge, of Notre Dame’s Center for Aquatic Conservation, and also a member of the Task Force. According to a 2006 study, a staggering 65% of the invasive species introduced into the Great Lakes has come from ballast water.
If passed, the ballast water legislation will slow the rate of new introductions to the Nation and help stop the spread of the harmful invasive species already within areas of the United States.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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