The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued two draft Vessel General Permits that would regulate discharges from commercial vessels, excluding military and recreational vessels.
The proposed Vessel General Permit and the Small Vessel General Permit are designed to help protect the nation’s waters from ship-borne pollutants and reduce the risk of introducing invasive species from ballast water discharges.
The draft Vessel General Permit would cover commercial vessels greater than 79 feet in length and would replace the current 2008 Vessel General Permit when it expires in December, 2013. The agency said the proposed permit would ease the administrative burden for vessel owners and operators by eliminating duplicative reporting requirements, clarifying that electronic recordkeeping may be used instead of paper records, and streamlining self-inspection requirements for vessels that are out of service for extended periods.
The updated permit would still regulate the 26 specific discharge categories that were contained in the 2008 permit, but would also regulate the discharge of fish-hold effluent, which it had not done before. The new permit would also add a proposed numeric standard to control the release of non-indigenous invasive species in ballast water discharges, which is expected to substantially reduce the risk of introduction and establishment of these species in US waters, the agency said.
In addition, the draft Vessel General Permit includes updated conditions for mechanical systems that may leak lubricants into the water and exhaust gas scrubber washwater. The new provisions would reduce the amount of oil and other pollutants that enter US waters, the EPA said.
The draft Small Vessel General Permit would address discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels less than 79 feet in length. The EPA said the draft Small Vessel General Permit is shorter and simpler, reflecting the different way these smaller vessels are used as compared with their larger counterparts.
The proposed permit outlines best management practices for several broad discharge management categories including fuel management, engine and oil control, solid and liquid maintenance, graywater management, fish-hold effluent management and ballast water management.
The Small Vessel General Permit would go into effect on December 18, 2013, at the expiration of a congressional moratorium exempting all incidental discharges from such vessels, excluding ballast water, from having to obtain a permit.
Stakeholders will be allowed to provide feedback during a 75-day public comment period. The agency plans to issue the final permits in November 2012 to allow a full year for vessel owners and operators to prepare for new permit requirements.
