20080723464 | Congress restores exemption for recreational boats from EPA permitting requirements

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Congress restores exemption for recreational boats from EPA permitting requirements

Written by BoatU.S
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
The United States House and Senate passed “The Clean Boating Act of 2008” which will permanently restore a long-standing exemption for recreational boats from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. The legislation now goes to the White House for the President’s signature. Congressional action was spawned by a U.S. District Court decision in September 2006 under which an estimated 17 million recreational boats would have fallen under Clean Water Act permit requirements effective September 30, 2008. The permit would have dictated maintenance and operation procedures and potentially subjected boaters to citizen lawsuits as well as a penalty system designed for industrial polluters. “This is a fabulous victory for common sense and it just goes to show what can be done when the boating public, the marine industry and its representatives in Congress row together in a bipartisan way,” said BoatU.S. President Nancy Michelman. BoatU.S. has worked for more than a year with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and a broad coalition of stakeholders to resolve the problem before the permitting deadline.

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