Attorneys general from New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine,
Michigan, Missouri, Washington, and the Canadian province of Manitoba
filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
over what they say is an illegal “water transfer” ruling that could
contaminate drinking water and harm fisheries.
The AGs argue that a June 9 administrative ruling by the agency could allow the transfer of polluted or contaminated water by ship from one body of water to another. For example, an oceangoing ship might dump salt water into the Great Lakes or a lake’s water could be dumped into a river.
Besides transferring polluted water, the lawsuit suggests the EPA’s rule could allow boats to “easily spread exotic species from one waterway to another,” in such places as the Great Lakes, where large ships routinely dump millions of gallons of “ballast water” into the lakes before taking on loads of raw materials. (Ballast water is sea water that ships carry for stability and then discharge when their cargo is unloaded. It often contains organisms, larvae, and sometimes even whole fish.)
Isn’t it great to know to know that state AGs aren’t afraid to make waves when government agencies lead us into troubled waters?
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