[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3360 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3360

  To direct the Secretary of Transportation to demonstrate on vessels 
 ballast water management technologies and practices, including vessel 
   modification and design, that will prevent aquatic nonindigenous 
  specifies from being introduced and spread in United States waters.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 26, 1993

Mr. Lipinski (for himself, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Manton, Mr. Stupak, and Mr. 
   LaFalce) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Transportation to demonstrate on vessels 
 ballast water management technologies and practices, including vessel 
   modification and design, that will prevent aquatic nonindigenous 
  specifies from being introduced and spread in United States waters.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ballast Water Control Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Transportation;
            (2) ``ballast water'' means water and sediments taken into 
        or expelled out of a vessel's ballast system;
            (3) ``Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force'' means the task 
        force established in section 1201 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic 
        Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4721); 
        and
            (4) ``nonindigenous species'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 1003(9) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance 
        Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4702(9)).

SEC. 3. BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall study ballast water 
technologies and practices that prevent aquatic nonindigenous species 
from being introduced and spread through ballast water in the Great 
Lakes and other United States waters.
    (b) Identification of Technologies and Practices for 
Demonstration.--Based on the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall identify for demonstration under section 4 technologies and 
practices that--
            (1) may be retrofitted on existing vessels or incorporated 
        in new vessel designs;
            (2) are operationally practical;
            (3) are safe for vessel and crew;
            (4) are environmentally sound;
            (5) are cost effective; and
            (6) the vessel operator can monitor.

SEC. 4. BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct an 18-month ballast 
water management demonstration program to demonstrate technologies and 
practices, including those the Secretary identifies under section 3, to 
prevent aquatic nonindigenous species from being introduced and spread 
through ballast water in the Great Lakes and other United States 
waters.
    (b) United States Shipyards and Ship Repair Facilities.--
Installation and Construction requiring a shipyard or ship repair 
facility shall be performed in a United States shipyard or ship repair 
facility.
    (c) Vessel Selection.--In demonstrating technologies and practices 
on vessels under this section, the Secretary shall--
            (1) use only vessels that--
                    (A) have ballast systems that test the technologies 
                or practices;
                    (B) are documented under the laws of the United 
                States; and
                    (C) are actively used for trade or other maritime 
                or public purposes during that demonstration; and
            (2) seek to use--
                    (A) vessels that call on ports in the United States 
                on the Great Lakes and vessels that are operated along 
                the other major coasts of the United States and inland 
                waterways; and
                    (B) a variety of vessel types.

SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES; CONSULTATION AND COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL 
              MARITIME ORGANIZATION AND AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES TASK 
              FORCE.

    (a) Authorities.--In conducting the study under section 3 and the 
demonstration program under section 4, the Secretary may--
            (1) enter into cooperative agreements with other government 
        agencies and private entities;
            (2) accept funds, facilities, equipment, or personnel from 
        other Federal agencies; and
            (3) accept donations for property and services.
    (b) Consultation and Cooperation.--The Secretary shall consult and 
cooperate with the International Maritime Organization and the Aquatic 
Nuisance Species Task Force in carrying out this Act.

SEC. 6. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    The Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress--
            (1) no later than 18 months after the date this Act is 
        enacted on the results of the study conducted under section 3, 
        that specifies the technologies and practices for demonstration 
        under section 4; and
            (2) no later than three years after the date this Act is 
        enacted on the findings for and recommendations resulting from 
        the demonstration program conducted under section 4.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $2,000,000 
to carry out this Act.

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