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February 24, 2015 

The Hon. Duncan Hunter

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515 

The Hon. Elijah Cummings

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

U.S. House of Representatives  

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Hunter and Congressman Cummings: 

The undersigned organizations include U.S. and international vessel owners and operators; fishing vessel, passenger vessel and charterboat operators; labor unions; industries that rely on marine vessels to transport essential cargoes in domestic and international commerce; marine terminals; and port authorities. We are writing to express strong support for H.R. 980, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act. 

H.R. 980 is bipartisan legislation that will establish nationally uniform and environmentally sound standards for ballast water and other vessel discharges. This legislation is urgently needed. Today, two federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency, regulate ballast water and other vessel discharges under two differing statutory authorities. And, because neither federal statute preempts state action, 25 states have established their own requirements for many of those same discharges – over 150 in all. This overlapping patchwork of federal and state regulations makes compliance complicated, confusing and costly for vessel owners and mariners. It is counterproductive to the goal of enhanced environmental protection, as companies have delayed investment in costly treatment technologies because they lack certainty that such systems will be acceptable wherever a vessel calls. It creates inefficiencies and uncertainty that add costs for shippers that rely on marine transportation to move essential cargoes. And, it has forced federal and state agencies to duplicate efforts and expend significant time and taxpayer money in an unsuccessful attempt to harmonize their requirements. 

H.R. 980 would rectify this untenable situation by establishing a uniform, science-based federal framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges that will benefit all segments of the U.S. maritime industry. The bill is good for the maritime transportation industry and the industries that rely upon it, good for the health of the nation’s waterways, and good for the American taxpayer. We thank you for your leadership in introducing this legislation and we stand ready to work with you to move H.R. 980 through the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and through the House of Representatives to enactment. 

Thank you for your consideration of our views.

Sincerely,