{"id":19138,"date":"2020-10-10T08:05:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-10T05:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/us-epa-proposes-standards-to-reduce-impact-of-discharges-from-commercial-ships\/19138\/"},"modified":"2020-10-10T08:05:59","modified_gmt":"2020-10-10T05:05:59","slug":"us-epa-proposes-standards-to-reduce-impact-of-discharges-from-commercial-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/us-epa-proposes-standards-to-reduce-impact-of-discharges-from-commercial-ships\/19138\/","title":{"rendered":"US EPA proposes standards to reduce impact of discharges from commercial ships"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed standards to reduce the environmental impact of discharges, such as ballast water, that are incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When finalized, this new rule will streamline the current patchwork of federal, state, and local requirements that apply to the commercial vessel community and better protect the nation\u2019s marine waters, according to EPA.<\/p>\n

“When combined with current EPA initiatives to protect marine waters\u2014including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Chesapeake Bay Program, and National Estuary Program\u2014our nation\u2019s waters will be better able to support local recreation and the national econom<\/em>y,” Andrew Wheeler<\/strong>, EPA Administrator, said.<\/p>\n

Specifically, EPA is proposing to establish national standards of performance for incidental discharges from commercial vessels as required under the\u00a0Vessel Incidental Discharge Act\u00a0(VIDA). The proposed rule includes discharge-specific standards for 20 different types of vessel equipment and treatment systems, as well as general performance standards that would apply more broadly to the full range of incidental discharges.<\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s proposed standards would apply to:<\/p>\n