USA – New Vessel General Permit Proposals
EPA has recently redrafted VGP for public review and comment The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently redrafted the Vessel General Permit (VGP) for public review and comment. The new VGP will replace the existing 2008 VGP when the latter expires on 19 December 2013.The proposed changes include the following:The addition of fish hold effluent to the 26 vessel discharges covered by the present permitNumeric ballast water discharge limits for most vesselsMore stringent effluent limits for oil to sea interfaces and for exhaust gas scrubber wash waterThe authorisation of electronic record keepingA single annual report in place of the one time report and the annual non-compliance reportIn addition, a Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) is proposed covering non-recreational vessels of less than 79 feet in length and commercial fishing vessels. This would be introduced after the present moratorium on incidental discharges for such vessels, with the exception of ballast water, expires on 18 December 2013.As small vessel operations differ considerably from those of larger vessels, the proposed sVGP is simpler in its scope and application, covering pollutants that may arise from nine discharge management categories. The permit would also provide for more simplified inspections and reporting than is ...
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