Legislative Session number- 85

Bill Name: SF2517

Establishing regulation of ballast water discharge into Lake Superior by
oceangoing vessels; defining certain terms; setting standards for ballast waste
management and requirements for water uptake and discharge, exchange and water
treatment methods; requiring permit issuance by the commissioner of the
pollution control agency (PCA) for discharge purposes, specifying certain
application and fee requirements; specifying certain sediment management
requirements; requiring operators of a vessel to conduct ballast water
management operations according to a ballast water management plan designed to
minimize the discharge of invasive species, specifying certain approval and
recordkeeping requirements; specifying certain duties and authority of the
commissioner relating to examinations and inspection requirements before issuing
a ballast water management permit, rules adoption requirements, imposing
penalties; specifying certain consultation and cooperation requirements with the
Great Lakes panel on aquatic nuisance species, state agencies and Canada and
other foreign governments; requiring the commissioner to prepare and publish a
state rapid response plan for killing, removing or minimizing the spread of
invasive species in state waters of Lake Superior, specifying certain plan
content and authorized actions for removal of invasive species; requiring the
commissioner to adopt an emergency plan to prevent introduction of viral
hemorrhagic septicemia into waters through the discharge of ballast water by a
certain date, exempting certain rulemaking procedures; requiring certain ballast
water management reports to the legislature by a certain date relating to other
vessel sources, best practices and transiting vessels
(je)