Clean Boating Act clears initial hurdles in US Congress
By IBI Magazine
The Clean Boating Act, a piece of legislation initiated by the National Marine Manufacturers Association and sponsored by 34 members of the US Congress, has passed two significant hurdles in the US Senate and House of Representatives. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on Tuesday, and last week was approved by the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. It now moves to be considered by the full House and Senate. According to an NMMA statement, the Clean Boating Act would permanently restore a longstanding EPA regulation that excludes recreational boaters and anglers from federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. A federal court in 2006 overturned the EPA exemption for recreational boaters in its decision to regulate ballast water from commercial vessels. If the Clean Boating Act does not pass, then the EPA would be forced by the decision to issue permits to millions of recreational boats in the US by next September. While the vote through the Congressional committees is a start, it must still be approved by the full Congress and signed into law by President Bush. "If the Clean Boating Act is not passed into law by September, America's 59 million boaters will be subject to unreasonable permitting requirements, bureaucratic red tape and potentially costly fees, and excessive legal jeopardy through citizen suits," said Scott Gudes, vice president of Government Relations for NMMA, in the statement. The NMMA has set up a website called BoatBlue.org to encourage boaters and boating organisations to contact their legislators about the bill. The statement noted that more than 50 organisations involved in outdoor recreation, sportfishing, hunting and conservation are backing the Clean Boating Act.
(22 May 2008)
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