The Clean Boating Act of 2008: Call your Senator!

[SabikiRig]

FYI: I received this via e-mail and had wanted to pass it along. This federal regulation would exempt Recreational Boats from EPA Discharge Permits.

If you don not call or write then do not complain about having to get an EPA permit for your boat after 9/30/08.

****
March 19, 2008

Dear BoatUS Member,

We need your help now to pass NEW federal legislation in the Senate that would provide a permanent exemption for recreational boats from the upcoming EPA discharge permit requirement. Remember that if we don't get legislation passed, we all need to get EPA permits to operate our boats effective 9/30/08!

We appreciate the time that many of you have already taken to let your Senators or Representatives know your support of S. 2067 or HR 2550 "The Recreational Boating Act of 2007." Now there is a new Senate Bill #2766 "The Clean Boating Act of 2008", which is more politically viable, and our best chance to eliminate the permit requirement before it comes in effect on September 30, 2008.

Please pick up the phone or email today and ask your Senators to sponsor and vote YES for S 2766. Although Congress is on recess this week and next, we need their staff to hear from us so that this bill can move as soon as the Senators are back in Washington.

Remember to contact both of your Senators:
(Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin)

StatePhone Email Illinois Senator Barak Obama (D) (202) 224-2854 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&) Senator Dick Durbin (D) (202) 224-2152 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)Indiana Senator Richard Lugar (R) (202) 224-4814 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&) Senator Evan Bayh (D) (202) 224-5623 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)Iowa Senator Charles Grassley (R) (202) 224-3744 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&) Senator Tom Harkin (D) (202) 224-3254 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)Michigan Senator Carl Levin (D) (202) 224-6221 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&) Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) (202) 224-4822 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl (D) (202) 224-5653 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&) Senator Russ Feingold (D) (202) 224-5323 Visit BoatBlue.org (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)

For more information:

Background (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
What's the timing? (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
Why a new bill? (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
What are the differences in the bills? (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
What does S 2766 include? (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
View a copy of the bill (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
Speaking points (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC0:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)
To contact your Senators electronically (http://smtp.boatus.net/t?r=3&c=3463&l=367&ctl=15DC1:790AFDFDD196B1483E809C416CC57BFA&)

Thanks for your ongoing help with this issue.

Margaret Podlich
Vice President, Government Affairs
BoatUS
GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com (http://us.f338.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com)
703-461-2878 x8355

[Hamilton Reef]

Court ruling unites boating groups

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1206096924268210.xml&coll=2

03/21/08 D'Arcy Egan Plain Dealer Columnist

A federal court ruling to stop the dumping of polluted ballast water from commercial ships has gone awry. The ruling will also require recreational boaters - whether they have small bass boats, sailboats or big lake cruisers - to get the same, expensive permits by September, even though the vast majority of recreational boats do not have ballast tanks.

The threat has boating groups around the country lining up to support the Clean Boating Act of 2008. It includes a pivotal provision to exempt America's 73 million recreational boaters from federal and state pollution requirements designed for commercial vessels.

"This will affect every pleasure boater if it [the Clean Boating Act of 2008] is not quickly passed," said Ken Alvey of the Great Lakes Marine Trades Association. The Clean Boating Act of 2008 introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer of California and Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida exempts pleasure and charter vessels and would save boaters from big headaches and expensive permits.

An unusual U.S. District Court ruling in 2006 caused the consternation in the recreational boating community, said Alvey. In the battle against invasive species coming to the U.S. in ocean vessels, the federal court mandated rules and permits to regulate ballast water discharges. It applied to all boats, though, and the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency were to develop restrictive pleasure boat "performance standards" for such things as water running off boat decks or discharged from water-cooled engines.

Alvey said boaters can get more information and contact legislators at the Web site boatblue.org.

[doublell]

I have sent my letter to Ehlers, Stabanow and Levin asking them to support this legislation. Received an e-mail back from Ehlers saying he was supporting the bill nothing yet from Levin or Stabanow.

[Hamilton Reef]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

BOATING SEASON KICKS OFF UNDER THREAT OF NEW EPA PERMIT PROGRAM

Solution Moves a Step Forward But Boaters Need to Speak Out Now

ALEXANDRIA VA, May 27, 2008 – With the Memorial Day traditional start of the recreational boating season now passed, you’d think the owners of this country’s 18 million boats would be in good spirits.

However, under threat of a new, onerous and potentially costly EPA permit program to be in place by September 30 of this year, recreational boaters and anglers have only a short time to encourage their Senators and Representatives in Congress to support the “Clean Boating Act of 2008.” The bill would retain a 35-year-old exemption under the Clean Water Act of 1972 for “normal operational” discharges from recreational boats, such as deck run-off from rain or engine cooling water.

The EPA has been required to develop the permit program as a result of a lawsuit originally intended to prevent the spread of invasive species from abroad by targeting ocean-going commercial vessels carrying ballast water.
The proposed Clean Boating Act of 2008 does not weaken any existing environmental laws that restrict the overboard discharge of oil, fuel, garbage, or sewage.

The Senate version of the bill, S. 2766, moved out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 21 following an identical House version, H.R. 5949, which moved out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 15. Both bills are now headed for full Senate and House votes, respectively, in the next few weeks.

“We have jumped over two huge hurdles in both the Senate and House Committees,” said BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich. “However, with only nine weeks left in the Congressional session before September, we are facing a tight timeline. Everyone who enjoys boating needs to ask their legislators for their support when it comes to a floor vote. We need constituents to speak up now – even if they have done so in the past year,” she added.

BoatU.S. also said help is needed to convert the 93 House sponsors who had previously co-sponsored a similar House bill, H.R. 2550 – now dormant – to be co-sponsors of the newest version, H.R. 5949.

To easily contact your federal legislators or learn more about the issue, go to http://www.BoatBlue.org or http://www.BoatUS.com/gov

BoatU.S. is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters with over 650,000 members.

[Hamilton Reef]

Boaters fear new fees
EPA's plan to protect lakes from foreign species may be costly

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge of establishing a new permit system designed to protect the nation's lakes and streams from pollution and invasive species. And although its main target is mammoth freighters, it could also snare recreational craft of all sizes in its net.

With the help of supporters such as U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, the Clean Boating Act recently passed the House Transportation Committee and the Senate Environment Committee. The next action will be in the Senate.

"The Clean Boating Act is desperately needed to ensure that boaters throughout our nation are not inadvertently negatively impacted by EPA regulations that were never intended to apply to recreational watercraft and because recreational boating is such a critical part of our local economy and a way of life in our community," Miller said in a statement.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/METRO/806030378