Great Lakes Issues and Challenges

Ballast Water
To prevent and reduce the transfer of aquatic invasive species (AIS), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted in 2004 the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. This law aims to create a uniform regulation, taking into account that the transfer of invasive species is an international phenomenon. However, many American states sharing the Great Lakes coasts are trying today to set new standards that would surpass the limits already established by the IMO. In 2008, many US states have proposed new regulation exceeding from 100 to 1,000 times the limits suggested by the IMO. The application of these laws would force any ship to be equipped with ballast water treatment systems that, let’s not forget, remain limited by their cost and in certain cases, by their unproven effectiveness.

Great Lakes ships employ many proven best management practices developed by Lake Carrier’s Association/Canadian shipowners Association and by Shipping Federation of Canada to prevent the transfer of established AIS from lake to lake. Keep in mind that Great Lakes ships are not responsible for the introduction of new AIS, as they do not transit outside of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Emissions Control area (ECA’s)
Since 2006, Canada and the United States have been working together to apply for an Emission Control Area (ECA). Under the IMO program, ships that operate in areas with air quality problems, designated as ECA’s, will be subjected to more stringent standards in order to prevent, reduce and control the emissions from ships. ECAs standards will ultimately achieve reductions of NOx by 80%, PM by 85%, and the SOx by 95%, relative to current emissions levels. However, Great Lakes carriers are anticipating huge impacts on the viability of the maritime industry since emissions can be reduced through the use of lower sulphur fuels and treatment technologies, which actually are too expensive or not available into the Great Lakes Seaway. Put another way, marine transportation benefits the environment and a modal shift would only increase the atmospheric emissions, the road congestion and the negative health impact. A holistic approach should be considered for all mode of transportation in order to prevent the imposition of non-sustainable solution.

U.S. Clean Water Act (NPDES - EPA Vessel General Permit)
In 1972, the Clean Water ACT (CWA) implemented the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program, which governs discharges of pollutants into U.S. navigable waters. In the past three decades, such discharges were excluded from EPA’s regulatory authority. However, in 2006, various environmental groups sued EPA, claiming that the vessel exemption violated the law and the U.S. court decided that the permit exclusion should be cancelled. It means that all vessels with discharges of pollutants incidental to their normal operation into U.S. 3 mile territorial sea or inland waters will need permit coverage by 2009. It includes approximately 28 types of effluents, ranging from ballast water to deck runoff and will affect approximately 50,000 commercial vessels.