Jul 23, 2007 2:51 pm US/Central
Invasive Species Target Of Bipartisan Effort
Cleveland, Ohio (AP) ―
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More needs to be done to safeguard the Great Lakes against a risk from invasive species that can exist even in low ballast water levels inside ship holds, said Sen. George Voinovich. (File)
CBS
Lawmakers promised bipartisan cooperation Monday to push for stricter regulation to stem an influx of invasive species including the voracious goby and pipe-clogging zebra mussels that threaten the Great Lakes and its native fish.
Ohio's Republican Sen. George Voinovich, at a news conference overlooking Lake Erie, said more needs to be done to safeguard the Great Lakes against a risk from invasive species that can exist even in low ballast water levels inside ship holds.
Voinovich said he and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., will co-sponsor the stronger regulation of freshwater ballast from overseas ships. The ballast can introduce foreign species, such as the goby, which eats fish eggs.
State Rep. Michael Skindell, a Lakewood Democrat, said he has Republican support at the state level for similar legislation. Such proposals in most of the Great Lakes states could help establish preferred national regulation, Skindell said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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