U.S. Court of Appeals to Hear Challenges to EPA Vessel General Permit - The Maritime Executive

Posted - Wednesday, May 11, 2011 - The Maritime Executive

Washington, D.C. - On Monday, May 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear argument on the industry challenge to portions of the Vessel General Permit -- the Environmental Protection Agency’s first effort to regulate incidental discharges from the normal operations of vessels.
EPA issued the permit in 2008 after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that the 30-year-old exemption for these discharges was invalid and that these discharges had to be regulated. The permit is a Nationwide Permit and represents the first time the agency has sought to regulate mobile sources under the Clean Water Act.
After proposing federal standards and taking comment, EPA obtained additional requirements from states under section 401 of the Clean Water Act and issued a final permit on Dec. 18 that included more than 100 new requirements based on state submissions. These new requirements, however, never were offered for comment as to whether they were conflicting or contradictory for vessels moving through waters of several states.

Complete Story at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-court-of-appeals-to-hear-challenges-to-epa-vessel-general-permit