The Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard are hosting a two-day, in-person listening session to enhance public awareness about the newly-passed Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). VIDA was signed into law on December 4, 2018 in an effort to streamline the patchwork of federal, state, and local requirements for vessel discharges. The new VIDA regulations will apply primarily to discharges incidental to the normal operation of large commercial vessels, as well as discharges of ballast water from small vessels and fishing vessels of all sizes.
During the in-person listening session, the EPA and the Coast Guard will provide a general overview of VIDA, a summary of regulatory considerations for specific incidental discharges, including an opportunity for public input, and an opportunity for a broader discussion on the regulatory framework to be developed under VIDA.
Register to attend the in-person listening session.
Dates:
May 29, 2019 (10:00 am – 5:00 pm) — May 30, 2019 (8:30 am – 12:30 pm)
Location:
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
300 Steamboat Road
Kings Point, NY 11024
View directions to Kings Point
VIDA Webinars
As we announced in an April 18th blog post, there are also two upcoming webinars scheduled to provide a general overview of VIDA, discuss interim and future discharge requirements, describe future state and public engagement opportunities, and answer select clarifying questions raised by the audience.
Dates:
May 7, 2019 from 3:00-4:30 PM EST
Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6495610530192866316
May 15, 2019 from 9:30-11:00 AM EST
Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3129022474263622668
The EPA and the Coast Guard are committed to stakeholder outreach and engagement throughout the development and promulgation of the new national standards of performance under VIDA. Keep an eye out on Maritime Commons for the latest announcements regarding VIDA, or check the Coast Guard and/or EPA VIDA websites. We welcome your participation and look forward to engaging with you on the VIDA rule-making process.
Contact the Coast Guard’s Office of Operating and Environmental Standards at environmental_standards@uscg.mil with any questions or comments.
Editor’s note: Read Rear Adm. John Nadeau’s Feb. 1, 2019 blog about VIDA.
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.