[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1648 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1648

  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 
 species from being introduced and spread in the Great Lakes and other 
             United States waters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            November 10 (legislative day, November 2), 1993

  Mr. Glenn (for himself, Mr. Inouye, and Mr. D'Amato) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 
 species from being introduced and spread in the Great Lakes and other 
             United States waters, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Innovative Ballast Management Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force'' means 
        the task force established under section 1201 of the 
        Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 
        1990 (16 U.S.C. 4721);
            (2) the term ``ballast water'' means water and sediments 
        taken into or expelled out of the ballast system of a vessel;
            (3) the term ``nonindigenous species'' means any species or 
        other viable biological material that enters an ecosystem 
        beyond its historic range, including any such organism 
        transferred from one country into another;
            (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Transportation; and
            (5) the term ``United States waters'' means navigable 
        waters and territorial waters of the United States.

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 into 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 conducted pursuant to 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;
            (6) the vessel operator can monitor; and
            (7) are effective against a broad range of nuisance 
        organisms.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to 
Congress on the results of the study conducted pursuant to this 
section, including a list of the technologies and practices identified 
for demonstration.

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 technologies and practices identified under 
section 3, to prevent aquatic nonindigenous species from being 
introduced into 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 of the technologies and practices 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 conducive to testing 
                technologies and practices applicable to a significant 
                number of merchant vessels;
                    (B) are documented under the laws of the United 
                States; and
                    (C) are publicly or privately owned and are in 
                active use for trade or other cargo shipment purposes 
                during the demonstration; and
            (2) seek to use--
                    (A) vessels that call on ports in the United States 
                and 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.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to Congress 
on the demonstration program conducted pursuant to this section. The 
report shall include findings and recommendations.

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 of 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. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

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

                                 <all>