HF 4216

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

1.1     A resolution
1.2     memorializing the President and Congress and others to protect the Great Lakes from 
1.3     aquatic invasive species.
1.4     WHEREAS, the Great Lakes are a tremendous value to Minnesota as an environmental and 
1.5     economic resource, both as the world's largest body of fresh water and as a crucial international 
1.6     shipping channel; and
1.7     WHEREAS, aquatic invasive species have caused significant damage to native 
1.8     environments and industrial operations in the Great Lakes and around the world; and
1.9     WHEREAS, Minnesota's Lake Superior ports provide Minnesota farmers, miners, and 
1.10    manufacturers with access to foreign markets through the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway, 
1.11    with nearly 41.7 million metric tons of maritime cargo through the Port of Duluth-Superior in 
1.12    2005; and
1.13    WHEREAS, current federal laws governing the introduction of aquatic invasive species into 
1.14    United States waters via ballast water of ocean-going ships and other sources are inadequate; and
1.15    WHEREAS, because of the detrimental effects of imposing regional restrictions on an 
1.16    international shipping channel, there is a need for federal regulation; and
1.17    WHEREAS, there is currently no nationally accepted standard for ballast water quality nor 
1.18    any approved ballast treatment technologies available to ship operators; NOW, THEREFORE,
1.19    BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota:
2.1     That the Minnesota Legislature has a great concern for the protection of its environmental 
2.2     and economic resources;
2.3     That the Minnesota Legislature urges the United States Congress to acknowledge the 
2.4     national urgency of this problem and move quickly to enact federal legislation to establish a 
2.5     strong ballast water regulatory program sufficient to prevent future introduction of aquatic 
2.6     invasive species into all United States waters;
2.7     That the Minnesota Legislature declares its support for the efforts of the United States 
2.8     Coast Guard and International Maritime Organization to put in place an international ballast 
2.9     water treatment and regulatory program; and
2.10    That the Minnesota Legislature declares its support for the "Great Ships Initiative," a 
2.11    research and development project funded jointly by the Indiana Port Commission and other Great 
2.12    Lakes ports, the U. S. Department of Transportation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 
2.13    and other federal agencies with the goal of accelerating the development and availability of 
2.14    ballast water treatment technology.
2.15    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the  State of Minnesota is 
2.16    directed to prepare copies of this  memorial and transmit them to the President of  the United States, 
2.17    the President and the Secretary of the  United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the 
2.18    United  States House of Representatives, Minnesota's Senators and  Representatives in Congress, 
2.19    federal agencies that regulate maritime transportation, and the Great Lakes Commission.