The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing that would regulate discharges from commercial vessels, excluding military and recreational vessels. Construction companies involved in marine operations that own or operate vessels (e.g., tugs or barges) should take note of the ever-increasing requirements and provide comments to EPA by Feb. 21, 2012.聽 EPA has scheduled a webcast on Jan. 19 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (ET) to address questions and to provide information on the draft permits. 聽Register for the webcast on EPA鈥檚 website .
The draft Vessel General Permit (VGP), which covers vessels greater than 79 feet in length, would replace the current 2008 VGP when it expires December 2013.聽 The brand-new draft Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) would cover vessels smaller than 79 feet in length and will be required for the first time starting December 2013 鈥 which is when the legislative exemption currently in place for small vessels expires.
- Most notable, the 2013 draft VGP would require most vessels to meet numeric ballast water discharge limits. This would be much more stringent than the current VGP, which requires permit holders to adhere to a suite of 鈥渂est management practices鈥 (BMPs) for ballast water discharges.聽 EPA is proposing a staggered schedule for implementation of the ballast water numeric limitation, requiring compliance by the first dry docking after Jan. 1, 2014, or Jan. 1, 2016 (depending on vessel ballast capacity). Vessels constructed after Jan. 1, 2012, and subject to the numeric limitation will be required to meet the limits upon the effective date of the 2013 VGP. 聽The 2013 draft VGP would also impose more strict technology-based limits in the form of BMPs for discharges related to oil-to-sea interfaces. Like the 2008 VGP, the 2013 draft VGP would require routine inspections, monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping.
- The sVGP would require operators to employ specific BMPs to minimize the discharge of pollutants into U.S. waters 鈥 for example, fuel management, engine and oil control, solid and liquid maintenance, graywater management, fish hold effluent management, and ballast water management.聽 It also includes provisions for recordkeeping and inspections.聽 The draft sVGP would be the first Clean Water Act (CWA) permit to regulate discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels less than 79 feet in length.