AG Nessel led a coalition of attorneys general in filing an amicus brief (PDF) with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Final Standards on ballast water discharges from large vessels, including ships operating on the Great Lakes. The coalition argues that the standards unlawfully weaken long-standing protections by eliminating ballast water uptake requirements, which prevented vessels from taking up water in areas with invasive species. 
 
“The harms caused by invasive species spread through ballast water are catastrophic, well documented, and felt by the people who live and work around the Great Lakes. Our communities have already paid the price for these species, and Congress acted to prevent even greater damage. The law is clear, and it is my hope that the Court acts now to maintain these protections before another invasive species causes irreversible damage to one of our most important natural resources.” – AG Nessel