Category Archives: recreational boats
CONGRESS RESTORES 35-YEAR EXEMPTION
CONGRESS RESTORES 35-YEAR EXEMPTION FOR RECREATIONAL BOATSFROM PROPOSED EPA PERMITTING REQUIREMENTSNO NEW PERMIT FOR BOATS REQUIREDALEXANDRIA, VA,
July 22, 2008 – In a remarkable display of bipartisan support for recreational boating, both the House and Senate today passed S. 2766, “The Clean Boating Act of 2008” which will permanently restore a long-standing exemption for recreational boats from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act.
The legislation now goes to the White House for the President’s signature. Congressional action was spawned by a U.S. District Court decision in September 2006 under which an estimated 17 million recreational boats would have fallen under Clean Water Act permit requirements effective September 30, 2008. The permit would have dictated maintenance and operation procedures and potentially subjected boaters to citizen lawsuits as well as a penalty system designed for industrial polluters. “This is a fabulous victory for common sense and it just goes to show what can be done when the boating public, the marine industry and its representatives in Congress row together in a bipartisan way,” said BoatU.S. President Nancy Michelman.BoatU.S. Government Affairs Director Margaret Podlich was quick to shower praise on a boatload of legislators who did much of the heavy lifting including Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representatives Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Steve LaTourette (R-OH), Candice Miller (R-MI) and Gene Taylor (D-MS).
A complete listing of all legislators involved will be available at http://www.BoatUS.com/gov soon.BoatU.S. has worked for more than a year with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and a broad coalition of stakeholders to resolve the problem before the permitting deadline. “One of the real keys to success here was our collective ability to activate the grassroots,” said Podlich, noting that tens of thousands of letters and e-mails were generated by boaters and anglers over the course of the past 12 months.
BoatU.S. is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boat owners with over 650,000 members
NMMA Action Alert:
Help Stop Federal Boat Permitting. Urge Your Senators to Cosponsor S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008
March 17, 2008
The Threat to Recreational Boating. Unless Congress acts soon, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit in order to operate their boat. This means yearly fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potentially state-by-state regulations, citizen suits and $32,000 per day penalties for non-compliance. These permits would apply to deck run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water and any other water-based, operational discharge from a recreational boat.
The Environmental Protection Agency, due to a sweeping court order, is already writing this unprecedented new regulation on boaters.
The Clean Boating Act of 2008. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) have just introduced S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008. S. 2766 would fully and permanently restore a 35-year permit exemption for recreational boat incidental discharges, such as weather deck run-off and engine coolant water, and works to protect the health of the nation’s waterways by pursuing whether or not reasonable and practicable best management practices need to be put into place for some incidental discharges. This important bill preserves recreational boating and the boating industry, taking a balanced approached that recognizes that pleasure boat discharges are completely different from land-based industrial facilities and commercial ships.
What You Can Do Today to Protect Boating. NMMA strongly urges all its members and all boating industry employees to contact their Senators and tell them to co-sponsor S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008. You can quickly and easily send a letter to your Senators by visiting www.boatblue.org. Once, there, simply type in your zip code and click send. This is the most significant threat facing the boating industry today, and we need your help to solve it. Take 5 minutes to tell Congress to support S. 2766.
Contact your Senators
Contact Mat Dunn (mdunn@nmma.org; 202-737-9760) or Dylan Jones (djones@nmma.org; 202-737-9776) so we can follow up with your Senators.