Invasive species law stalls as threats to Great Lakes grow

The latest unwanted guests to crash the Lake Michigan party don't look much like troublemakers. About a dozen of them can fit on the face of a dime.

But the spread of the New Zealand mud snail into yet another Great Lake represents a particularly frustrating chapter in the battle to protect the region's waters from invasive species.

Less than six months ago, Congress appeared on the verge of passing historic legislation to halt the introduction and spread of invasive species in the nation via ballast water. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly -- 395-7 -- to approve the Coast Guard Re-Authorization Act, which would have required ocean-going ships that travel the Great Lakes to treat their ballast before discharging it.

But since then, differing opinions on which federal agency is best suited to deal with ballast water, taken in by ships for stability, have ground the machinery to a halt. The Senate version of the Reauthorization Act passed a subcommittee but went no further.

At a time when estimates show invasive species may cost the Great Lakes region as much as $200 million a year in damages, the legislation appears dead. No action is expected before the close of this year's legislative session occupied by a presidential election and economic worries.

While the delays continue, species like the mud snail continue to show up in new places and a new invasive species appears in the region every 28 weeks, according to estimates from Chicago-based conservation group Alliance for the Great Lakes.

"April was a very exciting time, but things have definitely changed," said Jennifer Nalbone, campaign director for Great Lakes United, a Buffalo, N.Y.-based international coalition backing efforts to protect the lakes.

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