July 15, 2004

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that Michigan and six other states are asking the federal government to protect the waters of the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species.

Granholm announced that Michigan, along with New York, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are calling on the United States Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency for stronger action to control discharges of ballast water from oceangoing vessels, a practice identified as the chief cause of the spread of invasive species.

“The federal government must take strong and aggressive actions to protect our waters,” said Governor Granholm. “Ballast water threatens the Great Lakes, and ultimately Michigan, with the negative effects of invasive species.”

As part of the coordinated effort, the states today filed a petition with the United States Coast Guard to revise ballast water management regulations.

Although Congress has mandated that the Coast Guard ensure that all ships with ballast tanks manage the ballast waters so that viable invasive species are not discharged, current Coast Guard rules exempt most ships from such requirements. The petition asks the Coast Guard to close this loophole.

In addition to signing the petition, states have filed a “friend of the court” brief in a key court case challenging the federal EPA’s decision to exempt ballast water discharges from federal water pollution rules. The states maintain that the EPA’s exemption violates the Clean Water’s Act prohibition on discharge of pollution from vessels and creates another loophole.

“The DEQ has joined with the other Great Lakes States to send the Coast Guard a message that they must be a partner in protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester.

Aquatic invasive species are waterborne, non-native organisms that threaten the diversity or abundance of native species, the ecological stability of impacted waters, or that threaten commercial, agricultural, and recreational activity dependent on waters of the state.

The harm caused by invasive species such as the zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, round goby, and spiny water flea in the Great Lakes is widespread. For example, utilities annually spend tens of millions of dollars to combat zebra mussel infestations, which clog water intake valves. Milfoil chokes many waterways, requiring either expensive “mowing” of the weed or chemical treatment that has unintended consequences.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised July 15, 2004 by Pat Watson