PEC's Mark Gorman, Northwest Office Director, will facilitate this one and a half day workshop that provides an overview of current Great Lakes ballast water policy, legislation and research.

Scientists, legal experts, legislators, industry personnel and agency staff will discuss the current state of ballast water policy, pending legislation, proposed ballast water treatment methods and evaluating the current risk of introduction and spread of AIS to Great Lakes ports by foreign and domestic ships.

Goals of the workshop include:

• Creating a document to use as a tool to develop law, policy and regulations regarding the introduction of invasive species into the Great Lakes
• Bringing invasive species stakeholders together from the lower Great Lakes in an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and relationship-building that will enable future gains in reacting to, mitigating and preventing introductions of additional invasive species into the Great Lakes.

Who Should Attend:

Agency staff, industry stakeholders, policymakers and others interested in the impact of ballast water policy and legislation and the spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes.

Date: March 13 and 14, 2008
Location: Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie, PA
Registration: See attached agenda and registration form