Number: 2002-08
WHEREAS, our Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland waters continue to be invaded by exotic (non-native) aquatic organisms and pathogens transported from foreign waters; and
WHEREAS, these organisms arrive in the ballast water discharged by ships using our estuarine, coastal and inland waterways; and
WHEREAS, previously introduced exotic species, such as Eurasian ruffe and round gobies, are being carried in ballast water from one Great Lakes port to another; and
WHEREAS, once introduced and established, these non-native aquatic organisms are expensive to control and almost impossible to eliminate; and
WHEREAS, the impact on sport and commercial fisheries is immense and disrupts the aquatic diversity of the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland waters; and
WHEREAS, moreover, shoreline communities in the Great Lakes region alone are being forced to spend an estimated $500 million annually on control measures to protect drinking water, power plants, and recreational facilities; and
WHEREAS, some of these aquatic organisms, such as zebra mussels and Eurasian water milfoil, are now making their way into inland lakes and streams across the United States where they are displacing native animal and plant species; and
WHEREAS, the ballast water that harbors these invaders is used to maintain the stability of cargo vessels when they are empty or only partially loaded and is pumped in or out of large holding tanks, as needed, before the ships enter or leave port; and
WHEREAS, although U.S. and Canadian laws currently require ships entering the Great Lakes to exchange their ballast water at sea, ship design makes it impossible to eliminate all of the ballast water; and
WHEREAS, the majority of ships entering the Great Lakes do so with “No ballast on Board” and ships in this condition are commonly referred to as NOBOBs; and
WHEREAS, ships in the NOBOB condition still carry sediment in their ballast that can harbor exotic species; and
WHEREAS, the average ship retains 42,000 gallons of ballast water and sludge when entering the Great Lakes or moving between ports; and
WHEREAS, exotic organisms are flushed into the lakes as ships take on and discharge residual ballast water in the course of their voyages; and
WHEREAS, ships in the NOBOB condition are currently exempt from requirement to exchange their ballast under federal law; and
WHEREAS, federal laws as they are currently administered have clearly failed to prevent exotic species in this residual ballast water from reaching the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland waterways; and
WHEREAS, in the 106th Congress a bill was introduced that would have amended the Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Control and Protection Act of 1990 and require ships traveling in and out of the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland waters to replace or purify their ballast water or certify that any discharge or exchange within U.S. waters will not introduce any non-indigenous organisms; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation believes the ultimate control has to come from the Federal government working in concert with Canada; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation and many other organizations recognize the threat posed to the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and other inland lakes and streams of the United States by the continued introduction of non-indigenous aquatic organisms carried in the ballast water of ocean going vessels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its Annual Meeting assembled March 7-9, 2002 in Stone Mountain, Georgia, supports the enactment of federal legislation to protect the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland waters from undesirable exotic species and pathogens, by requiring treatment of ballast water of all ships entering or moving between the Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal or inland ports, including ships with no ballast on board (NOBOBs) to eliminate viable exotic organisms without damage to the environment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Wildlife Federation encourages the development, funding, and use of environmentally sound technologies that prevent the introduction of exotic species into the aquatic environment by minimizing or eliminating the uptake of organisms into ships’ ballast tanks; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Wildlife Federation supports equally effective state legislation to regulate ballast water, including ships in the NOBOB condition in individual state waters to provide interim protection until such time as federal legislation is enacted to adequately protect all our Great Lakes, estuarine habitats, coastal and inland lakes and rivers.