1.1     A resolution&#10;1.2     memorializing the President and Congress and others to protect the Great Lakes from &#10;1.3     aquatic invasive species.&#10;1.4     WHEREAS, the Great Lakes are a tremendous value to Minnesota as an environmental and &#10;1.5     economic resource, both as the world's largest body of fresh water and as a crucial international &#10;1.6     shipping channel; and&#10;1.7     WHEREAS, aquatic invasive species have caused significant damage to native &#10;1.8     environments and industrial operations in the Great Lakes and around the world; and&#10;1.9     WHEREAS, Minnesota's Lake Superior ports provide Minnesota farmers, miners, and &#10;1.10    manufacturers with access to foreign markets through the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway, &#10;1.11    with nearly 41.7 million metric tons of maritime cargo through the Port of Duluth-Superior in &#10;1.12    2005; and&#10;1.13    WHEREAS, current federal laws governing the introduction of aquatic invasive species into &#10;1.14    United States waters via ballast water of ocean-going ships and other sources are inadequate; and&#10;1.15    WHEREAS, because of the detrimental effects of imposing regional restrictions on an &#10;1.16    international shipping channel, there is a need for federal regulation; and&#10;1.17    WHEREAS, there is currently no nationally accepted standard for ballast water quality nor &#10;1.18    any approved ballast treatment technologies available to ship operators; NOW, THEREFORE,&#10;1.19    BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota:&#10;2.1     That the Minnesota Legislature has a great concern for the protection of its environmental &#10;2.2     and economic resources;&#10;2.3     That the Minnesota Legislature urges the United States Congress to acknowledge the &#10;2.4     national urgency of this problem and move quickly to enact federal legislation to establish a &#10;2.5     strong ballast water regulatory program sufficient to prevent future introduction of aquatic &#10;2.6     invasive species into all United States waters;&#10;2.7     That the Minnesota Legislature declares its support for the efforts of the United States &#10;2.8     Coast Guard and International Maritime Organization to put in place an international ballast &#10;2.9     water treatment and regulatory program; and&#10;2.10    That the Minnesota Legislature declares its support for the "Great Ships Initiative," a &#10;2.11    research and development project funded jointly by the Indiana Port Commission and other Great &#10;2.12    Lakes ports, the U. S. Department of Transportation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, &#10;2.13    and other federal agencies with the goal of accelerating the development and availability of &#10;2.14    ballast water treatment technology.&#10;2.15    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the  State of Minnesota is &#10;2.16    directed to prepare copies of this  memorial and transmit them to the President of  the United States, &#10;2.17    the President and the Secretary of the  United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the &#10;2.18    United  States House of Representatives, Minnesota's Senators and  Representatives in Congress, &#10;2.19    federal agencies that regulate maritime transportation, and the Great Lakes Commission.&#10;