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H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
On Aug 8, 9:43?am, Chuck Gould wrote:
We're down to 54 days to get this straightened out. From Boat/US this morning: NEWS From BoatU.S. Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 BoatU.S. News Room athttp://www.BoatUS.com/news/releases.asp FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, Date: August 8, 2007 U.S. DISTRICT COURT RULING THREATENS RECREATIONAL BOATING Legislative Solution, H.R. 2550, Gains Steam in Congress with 27 Co- sponsors Without Congressional approval of corrective legislation or a successful legal appeal, a September 2006 court decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern California designed to hold the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accountable for the regulation of the discharge of ballast water from ocean going commercial ships will have unintended and serious consequences for recreational boating, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.). "As it stands now, a permit will be required for 'normal operational discharges' on every recreational boat - even your dinghy - in every state where you boat," said BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich. "This is an attempt to apply a complex permitting system designed for industrial dischargers to recreational boats that will not yield significant environmental benefits." Instead, BoatU.S. is pushing for passage of H.R. 2550 "The Recreational Boating Act of 2007." It would continue a 34-year-old exemption applied to recreational boats and release the EPA from having to implement an expensive and bureaucratic national permit system for all recreational boats by September 30, 2008. The original lawsuit was brought against EPA in an effort to control the spread of invasive species contained in commercial ships' ballast water tanks. The tanks, which add stability, are filled overseas and then discharged in U.S. waters when cargo is uploaded. Ballast water is a primary pathway for non-native species, such as the Zebra Mussel, to invade U.S. waters. However, 99% of recreational boats do not have ballast tanks, nor do they cross oceans in any significant numbers. For over three decades the EPA understood that everyday deck runoff, bilge water, engine cooling water, or grey water from sinks or showers, was not the same as commercial vessels discharging millions of gallons of imported ballast tank water. As a result, it exempted these normal operational discharges from the Clean Water Act permit system. But in 2006 the District Court ruled that EPA overstepped its authority, and started the clock on the September 30, 2008 permit implementation deadline. BoatU.S. is urging all boaters to contact their legislators to co- sponsor H.R. 2550 which is a common sense solution designed to make the previous exemption for recreational boats permanent. "It's important to know that H.R. 2550 does not weaken any existing environmental regulations for recreational boaters. The main sources of potential pollution from boats - oil, fuel, sewage and trash - are already regulated and will remain so," added Podlich. For more information on this issue, or for help contacting your legislators, go tohttp://www.BoatUS.com/govBoatU.S. is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters with over 650,000 members. And here's a link through which you can contact your representative: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
No, but it will yield significant revenue from recreational boaters, who
have to grab their ankles for the 'Permit". It's no accident. JR Chuck Gould wrote: "This is an attempt to apply a complex permitting system designed for industrial dischargers to recreational boats that will not yield significant environmental benefits." -------------------------------------------------------------- Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:43:36 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote: BoatU.S. is urging all boaters to contact their legislators to co- sponsor H.R. 2550 which is a common sense solution designed to make the previous exemption for recreational boats permanent I just finished the following - in the mail tomorrow: 08/08/07 Captain Thomas E. Francis XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX The Honorable Joseph Courtney Representative - 2nd Congressional District, CT 215 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Courtney: I am writing you concerning H.R. 2550 - Recreational Boating Act of 2007. In September of 2006, The Federal District Court for Northern California negated a recreational boating exemption from commercial EPA requirements. In effect, the Court is requiring the EPA to apply the same standards and permitting process to recreational boaters as it currently does for commercial shipping. The EPA had previously exempted recreational boaters from regulations concerning everyday deck runoff, bilge water, engine cooling water, or grey water from sinks or showers recognizing that the environmental impact to our oceans, lakes and rivers is not the same as commercial vessels. The Court held that the EPA did not have the authority to exempt recreational boaters from these regulations and directed the EPA to enforce the standards across the board including a complicated, onerous and expensive permitting process. H. R. 2550 - The Recreational Boating Act of 2007, seeks to address this by continuing the exemption through legislation and removing the requirements of commercial regulations from the recreational boating community. I urge you to vigorously support and/or co-sponsor H. R. 2550. I am sure you are aware of the importance that recreational boating has to your District. Requiring recreational boaters to adhere to commercial standards and permitting system is not solving a problem, it is creating one. Your support for H.R. 2550 will go a long way towards releasing recreational boaters in your District from these ridiculous requirements. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, etc., etc., etc... |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
On Wed, 08 Aug 07, Chuck Gould wrote:
We're down to 54 days to get this straightened out. Where's the original thread? Wasn't long ago but I can't find it. I'm sure I saw it though. In fact, I'm sure I *replied* to it.......................... I think. Can't locate it now though. Anybody remember the Subject Line? Maybe I saw it in a different group? -shrug- Rick ------ maybe going daft. |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:58:35 -0500, lid wrote:
Rick ------ maybe going daft. Welcome to the club. :) |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
On Aug 8, 3:22?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:43:36 -0700, Chuck Gould wrote: BoatU.S. is urging all boaters to contact their legislators to co- sponsor H.R. 2550 which is a common sense solution designed to make the previous exemption for recreational boats permanent I just finished the following - in the mail tomorrow: 08/08/07 Captain Thomas E. Francis XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX The Honorable Joseph Courtney Representative - 2nd Congressional District, CT 215 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Courtney: I am writing you concerning H.R. 2550 - Recreational Boating Act of 2007. In September of 2006, The Federal District Court for Northern California negated a recreational boating exemption from commercial EPA requirements. In effect, the Court is requiring the EPA to apply the same standards and permitting process to recreational boaters as it currently does for commercial shipping. The EPA had previously exempted recreational boaters from regulations concerning everyday deck runoff, bilge water, engine cooling water, or grey water from sinks or showers recognizing that the environmental impact to our oceans, lakes and rivers is not the same as commercial vessels. The Court held that the EPA did not have the authority to exempt recreational boaters from these regulations and directed the EPA to enforce the standards across the board including a complicated, onerous and expensive permitting process. H. R. 2550 - The Recreational Boating Act of 2007, seeks to address this by continuing the exemption through legislation and removing the requirements of commercial regulations from the recreational boating community. I urge you to vigorously support and/or co-sponsor H. R. 2550. I am sure you are aware of the importance that recreational boating has to your District. Requiring recreational boaters to adhere to commercial standards and permitting system is not solving a problem, it is creating one. Your support for H.R. 2550 will go a long way towards releasing recreational boaters in your District from these ridiculous requirements. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, etc., etc., etc... Good work! I sent a reminder to "Baghdad Jim" this morning. :-) |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
Chuck Gould wrote:
On Aug 8, 3:22?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote: On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:43:36 -0700, Chuck Gould wrote: BoatU.S. is urging all boaters to contact their legislators to co- sponsor H.R. 2550 which is a common sense solution designed to make the previous exemption for recreational boats permanent I just finished the following - in the mail tomorrow: 08/08/07 Captain Thomas E. Francis XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX The Honorable Joseph Courtney Representative - 2nd Congressional District, CT 215 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Courtney: I am writing you concerning H.R. 2550 - Recreational Boating Act of 2007. In September of 2006, The Federal District Court for Northern California negated a recreational boating exemption from commercial EPA requirements. In effect, the Court is requiring the EPA to apply the same standards and permitting process to recreational boaters as it currently does for commercial shipping. The EPA had previously exempted recreational boaters from regulations concerning everyday deck runoff, bilge water, engine cooling water, or grey water from sinks or showers recognizing that the environmental impact to our oceans, lakes and rivers is not the same as commercial vessels. The Court held that the EPA did not have the authority to exempt recreational boaters from these regulations and directed the EPA to enforce the standards across the board including a complicated, onerous and expensive permitting process. H. R. 2550 - The Recreational Boating Act of 2007, seeks to address this by continuing the exemption through legislation and removing the requirements of commercial regulations from the recreational boating community. I urge you to vigorously support and/or co-sponsor H. R. 2550. I am sure you are aware of the importance that recreational boating has to your District. Requiring recreational boaters to adhere to commercial standards and permitting system is not solving a problem, it is creating one. Your support for H.R. 2550 will go a long way towards releasing recreational boaters in your District from these ridiculous requirements. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, etc., etc., etc... Good work! I sent a reminder to "Baghdad Jim" this morning. :-) I sent a letter this evening to my congresscritter, Steny Hoyer. |
H.R. 2550 still needs support from boaters
PhantMan wrote:
Rick ------ maybe going daft. Short Wave Sportfishing wrote: Welcome to the club. :) Thanks. ..... but it turned out to be only a mild to intermediate case of dementia. I found the thread that was driving me daft in rec.boats.cruising. Anyhow, my congresscritter is the guy who wrote the legislation so I guess it wouldn't help much to ask for his support ;-) Wouldn't hurt to add some encouragement though.... I'll do that. Rick |
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