New York – New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer is leading an effort by Attorney Generals from four Great Lakes States to urge the federal government to protect the waters from harmful, foreign species.
The Attorney Generals say zebra mussels, spiny water fleas, sea lamprey, and other species of fish and insects, which enter the lakes through the ballast water of ocean-going ships, have cost the states millions of dollars in damage.
Spitzer says the Environmental Protection Agency needs to dictate a uniform approach to combatting invasive species.
The EPA, however, is appealing a decision by federal court, ordering it to use its authority under The Clean Water Act to regulate the discharges. The Attorney Generals say the EPA is allowing a serious problem to worsen.
Federal Legislation to address the problem is pending.