i got an e-mail today from West Marine in responce to the Clean Boating Act...


[color:"red"] Tell Congress to Schedule a Vote on Clean Boating Act
H.R. 5949/ S, 2766 Must Pass by Sept. 30, 2008 to Avoid New Regulations on Boaters
Unless Congress passes the Clean Boating Act before September 30, 2008, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit just to operate their boat.

Without passage of the Clean Boating Act (H.R. 5949/S. 2766) before Sept. 2008, boaters will face yearly fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potential state-by-state regulations, citizen lawsuits 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, which have never been considered pollutants in 35 years of the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency, due to a sweeping court order, is already writing this unprecedented new regulation for these everyday overboard water discharges. ...

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click on the link to help
http://www.boatblue.org/takeaction.aspx

This is a quick and simple way to send the message to your federal and state elected officials!

More info from BoatUS;
Link

as a libertarian socilaist, i think regulations can only be justified if they help the most vounerable, these wouldn't so they shouldn't be made law, this is just anouther case of laws for laws sake, when politicians on the centre left do it they get wined at by the right bor being a nanny state, but the right do it just as much because they love to control ppl who in anyway differ from them, are not like them both parties in the uk and us before makein a new law, should think do we realy realy need anouther law

This "Clean Boating Act" is a proposed exemption which lessens the grip of an ill-advised and poorly written law, which has already been enacted.

Too often, legislators are called upon to "take action" on a subject which they know little (or nothing) about; resulting in laws which have unexpected consequences. No one can be a true expert on all facets of life, and our American system is set up to elect those whose expertise lies solely in "getting elected".

First, I must be honest that I have not read up on this issue. From the content I've picked up on the message board, I honestly don't see how this can apply to our boats. My boat doesn't do anything to dirty the water.

I suppose it spreads the zebra muscles when I go from lake to lake, but that's about it.

That's the problem... the current law assumes that ALL boats dump foreign bilge water (ballast) into US waterways, and REQUIRES you to pay for a permit to do so. The "Clean Water Act" differentiates small recreational boats as non-threatening, and keeps you from being punished for what the large commercial freighters do.

Admittedly, I haven't read the Clean Boating Act, but from the "excerpts" that I have seen, it appears that water going across our decks (and tramps) is considered objectionable. I suppose a case could also be made that the water in our hulls (i.e. what the drain plugs are for) is "bilge."

Mike

For all of you who say you have not read up on this.. below is the link to read up...

It will require every boat owner to purchase a discharge permit no matter what kind of boat. It will be between $ 200 to $2000 per permit, per boat, per year, per state. If you trailed a boat to another state you would have to buy their permit to launch. Non compliance has a fine of $ 32,000 per day.

Recreational Boating Act 2007

would the clean water act apply to those who pee in their wetsuit?

I could see that as an "objectionable discharge"....

Could this push boaties to small sailing craft so they can get on the water and avoid being subject to the laws?

Just curious how others see this?

Phill, the way it reads, it would have affected small craft as well.


Anyhow, looks like we are in the clear (for now) .
http://www.sitnews.us/0708news/072208/072208_fishingvessels.html

I received a letter in the mail yesterday from my congressman that stated something very similar to:

On Wednesday, both the U.S. House and Senate 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 next stop for this piece of legislation is the White House where it is expected to receive the President's signature and go into law.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/conservation/news/story?page=b_con_news_future_boating