May 23, 2008
Chicago, IL - The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) recently praised the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee for unanimously approving The Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766) introduced by Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Since its introduction in March, the Clean Boating Act has accumulated 34 bipartisan sponsors.
The Senate Committeeâs approval follows last weekâs passage of the Clean Boating Act in the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, chaired by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), maintaining the momentum and strong bipartisan support this commonsense, consensus legislation has received from throughout the country. NMMA urges Congressional leaders to capitalize on the billâs momentum, expediting its movement through the full House of Representatives and Senate and quickly sending to the President for his signature into law well in advance of the September 2008 deadline.
âWe thank Chairman Boxer, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and all the Members of the Committee for approving this crucial bill in committee and speaking to the importance of resolving this issue for Americaâs recreational boaters,â said Scott Gudes, vice president of Government Relations for NMMA. âWhile this is excellent progress, if the Clean Boating Act is not passed into law by September, Americaâs 59 million boaters will be subject to unreasonable permitting requirements, bureaucratic red tape and potentially costly fees, and excessive legal jeopardy through citizen suits.â
To take action and help protect the rights of recreational boaters and the recreational marine manufacturing industry that provides hundreds of thousands of American jobs, please visit BoatBlue.org.
About The Clean Boating Act: The Clean Boating Act 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. The Clean Boating Act has the support of the $37 billion recreational marine industry, the nationâs 59 million adult recreational boaters and more than 50 organizations involved in outdoor recreation, sportfishing, hunting and conservation.
Provided by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.