Battle Creek Enquirer:
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/OPINION01/704260315
EDITORIAL
Invasive species issue may bring ocean-freighter ban on Great Lakes
Concern over invasive species has prompted a call to ban ocean freighters from the Great Lakes - and moderate lawmakers are not dismissing the proposal as extreme.
The idea of giving up the millions of dollars in trade generated by seafaring ships on the Great Lakes certainly seems radical at first glance. But as the conservation group Great Lakes United points out, oceangoing vessels have been the prime source of at least 183 foreign organisms now living in the Great Lakes. The invasive species have harmed native fisheries, ruined beaches and cost billions of dollars for industries that depend on Great Lakes water.
In other words, the damage caused by invasive species may be approaching a point that it outweighs the economic benefit of shipping by oceangoing vessels.
After all, while commercial transport is a major contributor to the Great Lakes economy, so are fishing, boating and tourism - all of which are threatened if invasive species cause a decline in the lakes' quality. The dollars generated by Great Lakes recreation are just as green as those that come from shipping revenue.
But we would hate to see a ban on oceangoing ships when viable alternatives exist - such as requiring freighters to sterilize ballast before discharging it into the Great Lakes.
Ballast water from oceangoing vessels is believed to be the primary source of most invasive species in the Great Lakes. A Michigan law took effect this year requiring the sterilization of ballast prior to its discharge.
But now a shipping coalition has sued in federal court in Detroit to overturn the law, claiming it violates the U.S. Constitution's provision against restraining interstate commerce.
Hence the push by environmental groups and others to ban seagoing vessels outright from the Great Lakes. It is a might hefty hammer to wield in forcing the shipping industry to clean up its act when it comes to ballast discharge, but perhaps it is necessary.
Great Lakes United and other conservation groups say they do not want a permanent ban; they favor such action only until commercial freights stop introducing foreign species into the Great Lakes.
Shipping-industry proponents say such a move will take time, however, and they want federal legislation that will allow them to phase in ballast treatment systems.
We hope that just the prospect of a shipping ban prompts the industry to move faster to ensure the safety and quality of the Great Lakes. That will be to everyone's benefit.
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