Barge operators win change in ballast water discharge regulations

摘要

The barge industry has finally won major changes in the way ballast water discharges from vessels are managed federally and by state governments. President Trump signed into law Dec. 4 the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 that would end an overlapping patchwork of state and federal discharge regulations that for years had been costly and confusing to vessel owners. Operators long argued that the lack of a single, national standard has exposed them to fines and other penalties for violating standards in one state while complying with those in another, and they say some state regulations can't be met with current technologies.