National Public Radio aired a story about New York's stringent rules on discharge of ballast water by ocean-going vessels.  The story can be found here: story from September 26
The dispute centers on the fact that New York's proposed standards are far more stringent than existing standards, and, as critics maintain, impossible to meet under current technology.

New York's regulations, issued by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), are scheduled to go into effect in 2013.

The governors of Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio recently sent a joint letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, protesting the regulations and nicely summarizing the underlying dispute.  The letter can be found here:
governors' letter to Cuomo.