Company: DLNG
Filing Date: 2025-04-10
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001104659-25-033744
Chunk: 128

Company: Dynagas LNG Partners LP
Filing Date: 2025-04-10
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 3
Chunk 128
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 Army Corps of Engineers announced the revised WOTUS rule, which was published on January 18, 2023. In August 2023, the EPA and Department of the Army issued a final rule to amend the revised WOTUS definition to conform the definition of WOTUS to the U. S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Clean Water Act in its decision dated May 25, 2023. The final rule became effective September 8, 2023 and operates to limit the Clean Water Act.

The EPA and the USCG have also enacted rules relating to ballast water discharge, compliance with which requires the installation of equipment on our vessels to treat ballast water before it is discharged or the implementation of other port facility disposal arrangements or procedures at potentially substantial costs, and/or otherwise restrict our vessels from entering U. S. Waters. The EPA will regulate these ballast water discharges and other discharges incidental to the normal operation of certain vessels within United States waters pursuant to the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (“ VIDA”), which was signed into law on December 4, 2018 and requires that the U. S. Coast Guard develop implementation, compliance, and enforcement regulations regarding ballast water. On October 26, 2020, the EPA published a Notice of Proposed rulemaking for Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance under VIDA, and in November 2020, held virtual public meetings On October 18, 2023, the EPA published a Supplemental Notice to the Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance, which shares new ballast water information that the EPA received from the USCG. Comments to the Supplemental Notice were due by December 18, 2023. On September 20, 2024, the EPA finalized national standards of performance for non-recreational vessels 79-feel in length and longer with respect to incidental discharges and on October 9, 2024, the Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance were published. Within two years of publication, the USCG is required to develop corresponding implementation regulations. If the USCG spends the full two years to finalize the corresponding enforcement standards, the current 2013 VGP scheme will remain in force until 2026. Several U. S. states have added specific requirements to the Vessel General Permit including submission of a Notice of Intent, or NOI, or retention of a Permit Authorization and Record of Inspection (PARI) form and submission of annual reports.