Americas News
U.S. Drops Pollution Exemption for Coal-Powered Steamship
The U.S. House of Representatives has eliminated a budget amendment that would have allowed the last coal-powered steamship on the Great Lakes to continue operating on Lake Michigan, the Chicago Tribute reports.
The amendment would have kept the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from applying pollution controls to the Badger car ferry, which is reported to deposit about 500 tonnes of coal ash containing toxic substances into the lake each year.
"It's time to end their excuses, clean up their operation and stop dumping coal ash in Lake Michigan," said Senator Dick Durbin.
The ferry, built in 1953, is a tourist attraction for the Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Ludington, Michigan, and it employs 250 people, mainly in part-time summer jobs.
The ferry's owners made an agreement with the EPA in 2008 that they would address pollution from the ship by 2012, but this year they filed papers asking for five more years to make the change.
EPA's Chicago office are expected to release a comment for public review, but without a new permit the ferry will not be able to start operations for the 2013 season in the spring.
The local newspaper the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has expressed support for the Badger's continued operations and quoted a spokesperson who said that more than 4,600 constituents contacted the governor to support the ship, while 300 opposed it.
