July14, 2004

            DETROIT – Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced today that he is joining a regional effort to halt the spread of harmful aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes from oceangoing commercial ships.

            Attorney General Cox, along with other Attorneys General from the Great Lakes region, will file an amicus brief in federal district court in San Francisco later this week to compel the regulation of ballast water discharge from oceangoing ships under the Clean Water Act. Ballast water is one of the primary methods by which aquatic nuisance species enter the Great Lakes.

            "The Great Lakes are Michigan’s greatest treasure, and aquatic nuisance species cause significant harm to this delicate ecosystem," Cox said. "By joining with other states in the region to end the introduction of harmful species into the Great Lakes, we are fighting to safeguard our environment today and for future generations."

            Sam Washington, Executive Director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, expressed his organization’s support of Attorney General Cox’s efforts.

            "MUCC strongly applauds the action of the Attorney General in bringing the power of the State of Michigan to bear on the problem of exotic species, which enter the Great Lakes through ballast water," Washington said.

            When large oceangoing vessels enter the Great Lakes and load their cargo, they discharge ballast water carried from other ports. This water may contain aquatic nuisance species, which wreak havoc on the ecosystem and reproduce rapidly in the absence of natural predators and diseases in their new environment.

            Aquatic nuisance species such as the zebra mussel, sea lamprey, ruffe and goby not only threaten the Great Lakes, but also pose a significant economic threat to the State of Michigan. Commercial and recreational fishing, boating, beaches, tourism and facilities such as power plants that use water from the Great Lakes all suffer from the effects of these species.
The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that controlling zebra mussels and sea lampreys – two of the most harmful aquatic nuisance species – costs $45 million each year.

            Later this week, several Attorneys General will file the amicus brief in support of legal action brought by several environmental groups seeking to have federal agencies provide support in limiting ballast water discharges from the Clean Water Act.

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For further information contact: Stu Sandler
517-373-8060 (Office)
State of Michigan, Department of Attorney General