ALL Recreational Boating Threatened by pending Govt Regulations

[jon66w]

Below is a update from our Classic Boat clubs President about pending EPA licensing All pleasure Boats at extremely high fees and how we need to contact our Senators to support a bill which would exempt recreational boats from this idiotic plan ASAP.

" This is Senate Bill 2766 and replaces the Recreational Boating Act of
2007. The new bill is deemed to be more passable and contains all the
essentials of the 2007 bill plus, it also covers charter boats in the
exemptions.
Right now, in my opinion, the outlook for passage seems bleak. Time has
become short, it's in the Environment and Public Works Committee and has yet
to even be moved to the full Senate, and it still needs approval from the
House as well. The EPA is, right now, drawing up the regulation system to
issue permits for the 18 million recreational boats in the United States.
Unless this new bill is past by September 31, we will all be buying
expensive discharge permits beginning October 1, 2008. Now, I have heard
projected costs of from $200 to $2,000 per permit, per boat, per year. But,
if you don't comply, the fine is only $32,000 per day. This whole thing is
just nuts but, thanks to a couple west coast environmental groups and a
California judge, it's closing in on reality.
By my count, as of today, there are 31 senators signed on as sponsors of
S. 2766. That is not enough to move it forward out of committee. They are
too busy arguing about supporting our troops, pushing ear marks, getting
re-elected and staying out of jail.
We need to get more senators to sign on as sponsors. You can help do
that by going to www.boatblue.org. You can launch a letter to your senators
from that web site. Here's an update of how it's going:
1. GA: both senators are signed on.
2. NC: both senators are signed on.
3. SC: neither senator is on board. You folks need to get on Lindsey Graham
& Jim DeMint
4. AL: neither senator is on board.
5. TN: Bob Corker is on board. Lamar Alexander is not.
6. FL: Bill Nelson is in but Mel Martinez is not.
7. KY: neither senator is on board.
8. VA: neither senator is on board.
Just thought you should know.

Tom Riggle
Blue Ridge Chapter"

[Bill Huson]

That bill NEEDS to be passed . . .

For those unaware of the EPA onus in the existing legislation. merely washing your boat while it is in the water, or running a bilge pump would be illegal. Typical stupid regulation created by brain dead EPA drones who don't have one clue what a boat looks like.

[Skoontz]

This whole thing is
just nuts but, thanks to a couple west coast environmental groups and a
California judge, it's closing in on reality.


This is typically where every piece of fruit cakery originates. We have lakes where they don't allow swimming because when the kids take a a leak they claim it will pollute the water table....

I'm sure by this logic, the Department of Parks has installed a catheter each fish in the lakes....

I've said this before, I'll say it again....There needs to be a lobby group that either through dues on a boating organization, or private membership, can be used to fight everything from liberal knitwittery in EPA, to the aforementioned.

[Bill Huson]

lobby group

Boat US - They have been promoting the ol' lean-on-your-reps in congress for this corrective bill for months now. Boat US also launched the successful effort to spank Rick Santorum's (Typical kiss up to big bizz conservative republican from PA) quest to "privatize" the national weather service radio broadcasts. Of course a subscription fee would be required to actually hear weather alerts on your marine radio, aircraft radio, and basic portable Wx radio.

[Kev43V]

maybe what we really need to do is re-outlaw ALL paid lobbiests
Sometimes it seems to me that well meaning people get so wrapped up in their AGENDA that they forget to look at the big picture. Or even worse they just refuse to look at the big picture because it doesn't fit in with their agenda. but thats my 2 peso's worth. oh is a peso worth more than a penny yet?

[14-H]

maybe what we really need to do is re-outlaw ALL paid lobbiests
***yet?

Better yet: Abolish the EPA along with the Dept of Education and Dept of Agriculture while you're at it. If you don't have a federal agency, you don't need anyone to lobby the bureaucrats.

[Skoontz]

Ed has best solution yet. Anytime we inject government to make things easier or more efficient, that thing usually takes twice the effort at 100% the cost.

[KG4]

They gotta catch me first But seriosly something has to be done.The small lakes that i boat on are pretty laid back but i feel sorry for my boating brothers in the big places like Ca etc.

[nbass]

Take an Active Part

The best thing for racers is to take a proactive part. APBA at the highest level needs to start thinking green, have a plan, and lobby legislation. Green legislation and EPA is not going away, so learn to live with it and have input into legislation. Even if this one passes by the wayside, there will be other green environment legislative moves. I am sure there are lots of other boating organizations and manufacturers that could be teamed with. Complaining is not going to save boat racing. Someone pick up the ball!
Neil Bass

[John Howe]

I just now copied this from the vintage hydro website.

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GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 17 2008 at 6:53 AM
Chris Hall, Jr. (Premier Login challiv)


Response to Your attention needed - Feds and EPA considering a new Fee For Boaters -

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From yesterday's Soundings Marine Trade online!!!!!!

House committee approves Clean Boating Act
The National Marine Manufacturers Association applauded the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee this week for approving the Clean Boating Act, paving the way for consideration by the House of Representatives.



“What’s pretty significant is that in a Congress that’s been so partisan, we have bipartisan support for boating," Scott Gudes, NMMA vice president of government relations, said this morning.



The Clean Boating Act of 2008, H.R. 5949, would fully and permanently restore a longstanding regulation that excludes recreational boaters and anglers from the federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act designed for land-based industrial facilities and ocean-going commercial ships. This exemption was overturned by a federal court in 2006 in a case focused exclusively on ballast water from commercial vessels.



Gudes says the legislation is a “good government solution to a looming administrative and legal crisis for boaters across America.”



The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, chaired by U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., approved H.R. 5949 this week by voice vote. The bill will now go before the full House for a vote.



“Congress’ work is far from over,” said Gudes. “We now strongly urge the full House and the United States Senate — where identical legislation has 33 bipartisan sponsors — to quickly pass this legislation and send it to the President for signature into law well in advance of the September 2008 permitting deadline.”



H.R. 5949 is identical to S. 2766, Senate legislation introduced by Senators Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. S. 2766 is pending before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, chaired by Boxer.



Gudes said the House intends to wait for the Senate to move forward with its version of the bill; it’s hoped the Senate committee will take up S. 2766 next week.



Gudes said the industry needs to keep up the pressure to get the bill through Congress and signed by the president before September.



“We have to get them to understand we’re up against a ticking clock,” he said

[sam]

Saw the same thing on SnF & BRF

[RLR]

Ed Hearn

Eddie,
You are my hero, get rid of them all!!!!

When are we going to wake up, more oil than you can shake a stick off the coast and in Alaska and who is going to get the oil in the Gulf, the Chinese.

What the hell is up with that. Wish there was something else, but there is not yet to replace it. We have to have it while we get to the next energy application.

ray

[Skoontz]

Going green is Ozone Al's insurance policy that he has a job selling carbon credits, and a gross misnomer. Going green means that you would plant trees in anything you want to be green.

The best way to handle it is recall every moron who holds office that gets bought by the lobbyists and keep doing that until those who are electected remember they work for me and you not those who buy them off.

[nbass]

Not the way to do things!

That's just a lot of hot air. That is not going to solve our problem.

[Skoontz]

Solutions to problems begin with clear definitions of what problems you are trying to solve. Going green is simply going all with junk science, which, in 10 years will be a completely opposite set of junk sciences used for financial and political gains.

The immediate problem at hand, as seen, begins with common sense, and clear, factual, unbiased criteria, which at present, we do not have.

Opening his letter sideways, and blowing into the envelope before removing the problem, Karnac predicts that if every motor with the blink of an eye went "green" (God I hate the use of that word) that 5 years after every motor went green, there would be a new set of envirowhackitisms that would create the same scare tactics being created today.

So, since you feel it is hot air, can you show clear, defined and unbiased statistics that support the current batch of "green" carbon footprint idiocy?

Unbiased would exclude anything Al Gore, or any of these Polar bear hugging idiots would have to offer.....


I'm not trying to start an argument here, simply trying to show how wrong all this Green crap is, and how off base it is leading everyone. The target focus should be, that what boat racing is today, does not even amount to a blip on the evnivronmental radar, even with mix the oil in the gas engines, even with fossil based fuels...Add the amount of time boats and engines effect what these geniuses claim it is, and you will find that the case cannot be made.