S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008

[cagrove]

Senators Webb and Warner put on notice!

[ksr5]

action taken

[jebsr50]

Action Taken.....J. Bass

[JimW]

I received this from Senator Ben Cardin today:

Dear Mr. Waldrup:

Thank you for contacting me in support of S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008 , of which I am a co-sponsor. I have long been an advocate for the recreational boaters of Maryland , who can find some of nature's most rewarding pleasures on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries.

For good reason , r ecreational boaters across the nation have been exempted from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. Management of discharge water on small recreational vessels - such as engine cooling water, deck runoff, bilge water, and other gray water -- is often not feasible , and the damage such water discharges ha s on ecosystems and the water qualit y is minimal . If applied to small recreational vessels, NPDES permit requirements would be onerous and prohibitive to Maryland families who enjoy the rivers and waterways of the Chesapeake Bay .

For this reason, I have co-sponsored S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008, which was introduced by Senator Bill Nelson on March 13, 2008. This bill would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify that no permit shall be required for the discharge from a recreational vessel of any gray water, bilge water, cooling water, weather deck runoff, oil water separator effluent , or effluent from properly functioning marine engines, or any other discharge that is incidental to the normal operation of a vessel . On March 13, 2008, this bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works , of which I am a member. P lease be assured that I will urge my colleagues on th e Committee to press for consideration of this important legislation.
I appreciate your sharing you views on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me again about this or any other issue of concern to you.

[Putershark]

Got some mail back myself...

Got this from Mel Martinez

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Clean Boating Act. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to take this opportunity to respond to your concerns.

As you may know, a federal court order has directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt a permit system for all vessels that discharge water by September 30, 2008. Requiring family boaters to secure a Clean Water Act permit so that they can wash their boat, fish or go waterskiing is unnecessary. Furthermore, it will be exceedingly costly and essentially unenforceable given the huge manpower needed at the EPA to manage the permitting workload of over 1 million recreational boats in the state of Florida alone. I support environmentally responsible recreational boating and would like to keep boaters from having to go through the onerous EPA permitting process to secure a Clean Water Act permit for the normal operation of their boats.

On March 13, 2008, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced the Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766), and on September 18, 2007, I introduced the Recreational Boating Act of 2007 (S. 2067). Both of these bills address the fundamental permitting issue by exempting recreational boat owners from EPA permit requirements, but they differ in the status granted to charter boats. S. 2766 has been referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works where it awaits further consideration.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 110th Congress to find a common sense solution for Florida's recreational boaters. As an avid outdoorsman and fisherman, I appreciate the value of our state’s biodiversity and natural heritage, and consider it important that we fight to protect it. When making decisions affecting our waterways and oceans, we must strive to strike a balance and make policy that is grounded in sound science.
Again, thank you for contacting me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at United States Senator Mel Martinez :: Welcome.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

Also from Bill Nelson....

Thank you for contacting me regarding exemptions from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for recreational boating. Currently, recreational boaters do not need to obtain operating permits from the EPA, but a recent court decision threatens to eliminate this exemption in September 2008.

I introduced the Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766) to ensure that recreational boaters can operate as they always have--without EPA permits. To help protect the health of the nation's waterways, on which recreational boaters depend, the bill also would require the EPA to examine best-management practices for boaters. The bill is pending before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee whose chair, Senator Boxer, is one of several bipartisan cosponsors.

I am committed to preserving Florida’s waterways without placing an undue burden on recreational boaters. I appreciate your interest in this issue, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future.



P.S. From time to time, I compile electronic news briefs highlighting key issues and hot topics of particular importance to Floridians. If you'd like to receive these e-briefs, visit my Web site and sign up for them at Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator from Florida: eBriefs

So stay with it guys and gals, one less we need to pay yet another "Tax" to enjoy some time on the water