Raoul Urges Court To Maintain Protections Against Invasive Species

CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined attorneys general from Michigan and Vermont in urging a federal appeals court to reject new Environmental Protection Agency standards on ballast water discharges that they say weaken protections against invasive species. In a brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the coalition argues the EPA unlawfully removed requirements that limited where vessels could take on ballast water, increasing the risk of harmful organisms spreading between ports and into the Great Lakes. The attorneys general say Congress required the EPA to keep standards as protective as earlier rules under the Clean Water Act, but the agency weakened those protections in 2024. They warn invasive species such as zebra mussels have already caused major damage and economic losses in the Great Lakes region and say the spread of other species could cause similar harm if safeguards are not restored.