Posted on: Thursday, September 4, 2003

EDITORIAL
EPA has responsibility in protecting the ocean

In the past week or so, the EPA has delivered a series of blows to the environment that threaten air quality and climate. And of course, now we have to worry about the ocean.

The Bush administration has announced that the EPA is not in the business of regulating ballast waters discharged from cargo ships, oil tankers and other commercial vessels. They're leaving that up to the overburdened U.S. Coast Guard.

Ballast water is a pollutant that ought to be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, so the EPA's not taking from that responsibility can't possibly be good for Hawai'i, let alone the ocean.

Typically, invasive species are sucked into ships' ballast tanks in foreign harbors and pumped out into our waters when cargo is unloaded. These invasive species crowd out and destroy native species.

There's now virtually no monitoring or enforcement of this problem, and penalties are light. While environmentalists and state agencies are searching for remedies, it's essential that the EPA pitch in.