House Protects Nation’s Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species
In April 2008, UCS activists urged their representatives to protect our nation's waters from aquatic invasive species by voting in favor of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008. With their help—even when faced with a veto threat from the president—the bill passed the House in a landslide victory, 395 to 7!
Ships often fill up their tanks with ocean water to balance their loads, picking up and transporting plants and animals with the water. When ships arrive from foreign ports and empty this ballast water, they are potentially introducing thousands of non-native species into our waters.
Ballast water is one of the last unregulated water pollutants. "Title V" of the bill, the Ballast Water Treatment Act of 2008, requires that ships treat ballast water before dumping it, along with huge numbers of live organisms, in port or into the ocean. A set of strengthening amendments that improve upon these measures also passed. An important one ensures transparency by making ships' ballast treatment records available to public requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
