Coalition Letter Supports S.373 Vessel Incidental Discharge Act

Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson:

The undersigned organizations include U.S. and international vessel owners and operators; fishing vessel, passenger vessel and charterboat operators; labor unions; industries that rely on marine vessels to transport essential cargoes in domestic and international commerce; marine terminals; and port authorities. We are writing to express support for S. 373, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, and urge that this important legislation be marked up and reported out as soon as possible by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

S. 373 is bipartisan legislation that will establish nationally uniform and environmentally sound standards for ballast water and other vessel discharges. Last year, identical legislation was cosponsored by 32 Senators from all regions of the country, from Hawaii to Massachusetts. We are grateful to Sen. Rubio for reintroducing this legislation in the 114th Congress and to you for cosponsoring it, and ask for your leadership in bringing the bill before your committee for timely consideration.

S. 373 is urgently needed. Today, two federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency, regulate ballast water and other vessel discharges under two differing statutory authorities. And, because neither federal statute preempts state action, 25 states have established their own requirements for many of those same discharges – over 150 in all. This overlapping patchwork of federal and state regulations makes compliance complicated, confusing and costly for vessel owners and mariners. It is counterproductive to the goal of enhanced environmental protection, as companies have delayed investment in costly treatment technologies because they lack certainty that such systems will be acceptable wherever a vessel calls. It creates inefficiencies and uncertainty that add costs for shippers that rely on marine transportation to move essential cargoes. And, it has forced federal and state agencies to duplicate efforts and expend significant time and taxpayer money in an unsuccessful attempt to harmonize their requirements.

S. 373 would rectify this untenable situation by establishing a uniform, science-based federal framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges that will benefit all segments of the U.S. maritime industry. The bill is good for the maritime transportation industry and the industries that rely upon it, good for the health of the nation’s waterways, and good for the American taxpayer. We thank you for your support for this legislation and we respectfully request that you bring S. 373 before the Committee for markup as soon as possible. Thank you for your consideration of our views.