| Print | Close Window | AMO Currents - Posted: April 20, 2012 |
In further support of the SS Badger
Dear Chairman Rockefeller:
On behalf of the U.S. merchant marine officers I am privileged to represent in domestic and international trades, I ask respectfully that you support a House-approved U.S. Coast Guard authorization bill amendment that would allow historic U.S.-flagged vessels to continue to operate under current vessel discharge rules approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Lake Michigan car ferry SS Badger, which employs members of the union I serve, is among the vessels that would qualify for continued service under the amendment.
Owned and operated by Lake Michigan Car Ferry, the Badger is the last coal-fired vessel in U.S. registry, and it has operated profitably and in full compliance with environmental laws and regulations for more than 50 years. But this vessel, the unique service it provides and the jobs it sustains at sea and ashore are at needless risk because the coal ash discharge vessel rules approved specifically for the Badger by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 will expire at the end of this year. Without timely Senate approval of the House amendment, the Badger will be forced into premature, permanent retirement.
Lake Michigan Car Ferry has since 2008 invested hundreds of thousands of dollars exploring alternative fuel sources and potential alternatives to the coal ash discharge method now in use under what the EPA in 2008 determined was the best available technology for the Badger.
In addition, the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Great Lakes Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin are conducting a joint study intended to find manageable ways to convert all Great Lakes vessels to cleaner fuels - and the Badger is the test case in this study.
Meanwhile, Lake Michigan Car Ferry is pursuing an individual permit that would allow the Badger to remain in service beyond December 2012 while the company continues its research into alternative fuels. This specific approach was requested in writing by the EPA, which acknowledged the difficulty and expense of retrofitting the Badger with cleaner propulsion systems and retraining the vessel's engine officers and crewmembers.
While the image of coal ash poured freely into Lake Michigan is frightening to many Americans, the truth here is that the coal ash discharged by the Badger simply does not measure up to the hazardous materials standards established by the EPA. Tests confirm that the ash contains only trace amounts of only four contaminants - each at a level hundreds of times below what the EPA considers hazardous. With the environment in such sharp focus here, it is important to note that the Badger enhances air quality in the region by carrying automobiles and large trucks between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Without this safe and efficient waterborne option, these vehicles would clog the highways south of Lake Michigan and in and around Chicago, burning more than 1 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel each year.
One more important point for the record: because of the Badger's capacity for oversized cargoes - everything from rail cars to wind turbines - and because of its ability to accommodate a substantial number of passengers overnight, the vessel could figure prominently in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's contingency planning for a terrorist attack on Chicago.
We in American Maritime Officers urge you and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to consider these points when the Badger issue comes before you, and we stand ready to answer any questions or provide any additional information that may be helpful to you and your staff.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Bethel
National President
American Maritime Officers
490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW
Suite 7204
Washington, DC 20024
202-479-1166
202-251-0349 (cell)
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