Chris Van Hollen: “today the Senate will complete work on a new 2-year authorization for the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime…”

“today the Senate will complete work on a new 2-year authorization for the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime Commission, and on regulations related to vessel discharges and other matters. This bill is intended to give our Coast Guard the certainty it needs to operate in a constantly changing environment, and I appreciate the significant bipartisan work that has gone into the legislation we vote on today. Maryland is home to the Coast Guard yard in Curtis Bay, our Nation's facility for maintaining and repairing the Coast Guard fleet, and I am proud of the work they do every day to support the security of our Nation and ships at sea. However, I remain concerned with title IV of this bill, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, VIDA, which would regulate ballast water discharge from ships in the United States. While these provisions have improved since they were first brought to the floor, the title continues to preempt State authority on ballast water discharge from ships. The State of Maryland currently has a more protective standard that is critical to maintaining a healthy Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is enormous: 64,000 square miles, part of six States and the entire District of Columbia, and almost 18 million people. The Chesapeake Bay is one of Maryland's crown jewels, and it is of upmost importance to me that we continue the progress in cleaning up the bay.…”