What Does Congress Think of Permitting Boaters?

 

“We are going to make sure that individual boaters do not need permits—that’s as simple as it gets. That’s my commitment, and it will happen.”

 

 

 

“They've never been required to have such a permit, and there's no reason for that to change...Florida has almost a million boaters…it's vitally important to them, and to me, that we continue a reasonable, commonsense exemption for recreational boating and sport fishing. You shouldn't have to ask the EPA before you take your boat out on the water.”

 

Sponsor of S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008

 

"Requiring family boaters to secure a Clean Water Act permit so that they can wash their boat, fish, or go waterskiing is ridiculous. This permit requirement is unnecessary and onerous. If allowed to take effect, it will be costly and essentially unenforceable."

 

“The court ruling swept small and recreational boats into the same category as cargo ships, forcing boaters to require a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.  This is clearly not the intention of the law, or the EPA.  It is a costly oversight that must be fixed. I fully understand that the law was not intended to prevent boaters from enjoying this American past time.  It is important we make sure we protect our environment from pollutants, however recreational boating should be simple, safe and fun.”

 

 

 

“It is ludicrous that boaters who practice safe and environmentally sound boating could be subjected to these kinds of costs. There is a reason that recreational boaters have been exempted for years, and that is because they pose absolutely no threat to the environment. These regulations would be bad for recreational boaters and bad for the boating industry…”

 

 

‘…One of the Pacific Coast commercial fishing groups that petitioned the EPA to beef up its ballast-water regulations said Thursday he is concerned that the decision is now being applied to small-boat owners. "This could be extremely onerous when the discharges are essentially benign," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations.’

 

‘…The move comes after a lawsuit filed by 12 parties, including the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council (GLFSC). After the EPA refused the group’s petition in 1999 to require ballast-water permits for commercial shipping under the Clean Water Act, the confederation successfully sued the EPA to force it to rescind a permit exemption it granted to commercial shippers.  The problem, said Dan Thomas of the GLFSC, was that the judge also rescinded the exemption for recreational vessels, something which no one saw coming.’

 

 

 

“We do not believe that it is necessary or appropriate at this time for the USEPA to include recreational boats as pollution sources needing NPDES permits by September 30, 2008.”