• Support storage of fuel at marine storage facilities
• Support pump-out facilities at marinas and yacht basins under the Clean Vessel Act
• Continue to support the upgrade and future operation of Loran C
   (see: A case for Loran C by the International Loran Association)
• Strongly advocate permanent funding for the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (Wallop-Breaux)
• Gaining Government support for the adoption and use of inflatable PFDs
• Support programs which provide retention of existing boating access facilities and obtaining increased future access
• Supports the adoption of Mandatory Boater Safety Education in all 50 States
• Does not support Mandatory PFD wear by adult boaters

EPA Permit for Recreational Boats: As most everyone knows; unless legislation is passed, we all will need an EPA permit to operate our boats after September 2008. Since the previous bills introduced have not succeeded, a new bill has been introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA). S2766, The Clean Boating Act of 2008, fully restores the longstanding exemption for recreational boats to have a permit for water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a boat.

Additionally, the bill establishes a three-year framework for the EPA to determine if any Best Management Practices (BMPs) are needed for incidental discharges. If the EPA determines any “reasonable and practicable” best management practices are needed, the Coast Guard would take over as the lead agency and write the regulations. The Coast Guard would be required to determine the impact on the operational capability, and safety of the vessel and the economic cost of any BMPs that might be recommended. Even if BMPs were determined necessary, it would be difficult for the Coast Guard to administer any such regulations.

The bottom line is we must all ask our Senators to serve as co-sponsors of S2766. The Senate is now in session and the activity is intense to gather as many co-sponsors as possible and get the bill passed. Presuming successful passage in the Senate the bill would then be sent to the House for a vote of Unanimous Consent. For details log on to www.boatblue.org.

UPDATE June 2008 – S.2766 has passed out of Committee and will be voted on by the entire Senate body. So far grassroots boaters efforts have achieved 34 bi-partisan co-sponsors in the Senate. Support is strong there.

The House of Representatives has also introduced a companion bill which has also passed out of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. This maintains the momentum and strong bipartisan support. We’re hoping congressional leaders will capitalize on this momentum, and expedite its movement through the full House and Senate with a positive vote and quickly send it to the President for his signature into law -- well in advance of the September 2008 deadline.

NBF has been working closely with the NMMA and it’s Boat Blue action team by sending out E-lerts, letters to Congress, and pleas to constituent boaters across the country to take action. That said, strong constituent support still needs to be shown and people are requested to contact their Congressmen through the Boat Blue website – www.boatblue.org.

The American Boating Congress (ABC) will hold its Legislative Conference April 27-29 in Washington DC at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. There will be speakers from government and industry on issues of importance to boating and will include visits with legislators on Capitol Hill. The EPA permit legislation will be high on the agenda. A bill to prevent “hull splashing”, or copying , reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act, HR 3223 definition of working waterfronts, and others will be discussed. The ABC is sponsored by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) who has led the fight on the EPA permit bill.

New Ethanol Requirements: The recently passed Energy Bill contains new requirements for the amount of ethanol added to gasoline from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022. This will make it more difficult to locate any marine fuel which does not contain ethanol. Many have read of (or experienced) the effects of ethanol which loosens sediment in fuel systems, the way it mixes with water, its effect on older boats and on those boats equipped with fiberglass fuel tanks. This is good news for farmers who grow corn from which ethanol is derived but bad news for the boating community. Fortunately the bill does contain provisions added by the NMMA requiring the EPA to thoroughly review new fuels for safety and potential engine damage prior to approving them for sale.

Operation of Loran-C to Continue: The Department of Homeland Security issued a press release indicating it would now continue Loran operations as a “national backup system to GPS.” It further stated that the enhanced Loran, or eLoran, system will be a land based, independent system and will mitigate any safety, security, or economic effects of a GPS outage or disruption. The eLoran system will be an enhanced and modernized version of Loran-C, containing all new transmitting stations and an upgraded network. NBF has long been an advocate for Loran continuation as a backup for and complement to GPS and was one of the few groups working to bring this to fruition. NBF received a letter of appreciation from the International Loran Association for our efforts in making this happen.

Wallop/Breaux reauthorization: The process for reauthorizing the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (Wallop/Breaux) has begun. NASBLA sponsored a Partners Dinner in which open discussion was held among interested parties; many of whom were members of the former American League of Anglers and Boaters (ALAB). Many ideas were discussed but a number of key players objected to any reduction in the allocation to the Sport Fish programs. In fact NASBLA was requesting that some administrative costs come off the top of the fund before percentages are applied to all trust fund programs. This would have resulted in a modest increase in the Boating Safety funds without lowering the percentages applied to other Trust Fund programs. NASBLA is currently meeting with the American Fisheries Wildlife Association to attempt to reach an agreement. The Coast Guard is working on legislative proposals for the reauthorization as well.

Maintenance Funding for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway: NBF has contacted the Chairman of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA), David Roach, to offer assistance in obtaining additional funding for the critical maintenance dredging on the ICW and all our Nations waterways. The President’s budget for 2009 only allowed $2.2M for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the 1200 mile ICW from Virginia to Florida. The AIWA welcomed NBF support and indicated he would like to work with NBF on future funding for the Corps Civil Works Program. In the meantime NBF will make contact with the appropriate committees in the House and Senate to try and obtain something closer to the $30M that is actually needed.