PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor

J.R. 6

RESOLVED, That the General Assembly requests that the U.S. Coast Guard, or
the lead agency as designated by the federal government, implement and widely publicize
a national program that establishes guidelines for voluntary ballast water management for
ships calling at Chesapeake Bay and all other U.S. ports; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the U.S. Coast Guard is also requested to develop, in
consultation and cooperation with the shipping industry and the research community, a
reasonable reporting mechanism for vessels calling at Chesapeake Bay and all other U.S.
ports in order to collect data to assess the extent of participation in the program; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That such a program should coincide with a vigorous, multilingual
education campaign to raise awareness of ballast management issues among the crews
and agents of foreign- and U.S.-flagged ships; and be it further

RESOLVED, That such an outreach effort should take advantage of the
preexisting distribution channels of those organizations that have routine contact with
vessels, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, port administrations and pilots associations; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That, pursuant to U.S. Coast Guard implementation of voluntary
ballast water management guidelines and reporting procedures, a mandatory approach
should be developed for the Chesapeake Bay and all other U.S. ports if, after an adequate
period of education for ship owners and crews of not less than 24 months, an evaluation
of the effectiveness of participation in the program determines that such measures are
necessary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the U.S. Congress should reauthorize Public Law 101-646 and
appropriate funds necessary to implement the provisions of the Act, including research to
be undertaken within the Chesapeake Bay region (a) to establish post-1991 trends in
ballast water released into the Chesapeake Bay, focusing on quantities, vessel types, and
sources, and (b) to examine attributes and patterns of ballast-mediated invasions that
relate to current and future potential management strategies; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the General Assembly supports modifications to international
regulations under MARPOL that would require all International Maritime Organization
(IMO) nations (including the United States) to collaboratively undertake ballast water
management protocols, based on current voluntary IMO guidelines; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the General Assembly strongly encourages the National
Research Council Marine Board's Committee on Ships' Ballast Operations to continue to
work toward the development of a long-term international consensus on the design and
construction of vessels that operate safely while allowing for offshore exchange of ballast
water and/or while allowing for other means to reduce the transport of living organisms by
ships' ballast systems; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the General Assembly urges Congress to support federal
legislation calling for the demonstration of ballast water management technologies and
practices that help prevent aquatic nonindigenous species from being introduced and

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