EPA has issued its second national permit to control invasive species from ship discharges and the result is not much better than the first permit. The national permit, known as the Vessel General Permit (VGP), is intended to control the discharge of invasive species, chemicals, and other pollutants from ships. EPA agreed to issue the permit after two successful lawsuits by NWEA stemming from a petition it filed with EPA in January 1999. While this most recent version of the VGP is a slight improvement over the first permit, it falls well short of meeting the requirements of the Clean Water Act. You can read more, including comments of NWEA’s Nina Bell, in this The Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel article report.
