HR 5609 · 113th Congress · Transportation and Public Works
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act
Bill Progress
✓
Introduced2
Committee3
House Vote4
Senate5
EnactedLatest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.(2014-09-19)
Plain Language Summary
[AI summary unavailable — showing source text]
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act - Sets forth provisions concerning standards for waste water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, including discharges of ballast water (water taken into the ship's ballast to maintain stability). Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish and implement enforceable uniform national standards for the regulation of discharges from vessels into navigable waters and best management practices for discharges other than ballast water. Sets as the national standard the Coast Guard's 2012 "Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters." Requires DHS to revise the ballast water performance standard so that those discharges will contain less than specified concentrations of living organisms, indicator microbes, and viruses if DHS finds that the standard would be feasible. Requires ballast water treatment technology to be certified by DHS. Prohibits DHS from certifying a technology that uses certain biocides (substances or organisms introduced into or produced by the technology to reduce or eliminate aquatic nuisance species). Sets forth exemptions from permit requirements, prohibition…
Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only
Cosponsors (14)
6 Democrats8 Republicans