Congress passed the "Clean Boating Act of 2008," President Bush signed it and 13 million recreational boaters have been spared the axe. Without this legislation, boaters would have been subject to overzealous new regulations and hassles. With this legislation, a long-standing exemption to this harsh permitting procedure has been permanently restored.
The threat to regulate discharge on boats navigating the Great Lakes was instigated by the predatory aquatic nuisances that have come to decimate the indigenous aquatic life within the Great Lakes. In late 2007, environmentalists argued in court that the discharge of recreational boats should be regulated as stringently as the ballast of commercial ships and water-treatment facilities.
They ultimately won that case, and the new rules were set to go into effect this September.
Had the Clean Boating Act of 2008 not been passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, 13 million U.S. boaters would have faced a calamity of monumental proportions. The carefree pastime that's so important to the nation's families and local economies would have been tangled up in red tape. We have averted that possibility now, and those responsible for the Clean Boating Act of 2008 should be congratulated for ensuring that we did.
The Great Lakes region possesses 20 percent of the world's freshwater resources and is home to 4.3 million freshwater boaters. This exemption is a relief to all the boaters who bring $60 billion of economic good to the U.S. economy, $16 billion of which is based in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Boating Federation serves as an advocate to boaters on the Great Lakes in U.S. and Canada.
With this new legislation and exemption, Congress and the president have recognized that recreational boaters aren't the enemy in the fight to keep our waters clean. Rather, boaters are important stewards of U.S. waters.
The Clean Water Act will allow them to continue enjoying their boating sport and lifestyle while nourishing their coastal economies without needless bureaucratic oversight.
About the author: F. Ned Dikmen of Chicago is chairman of the Great Lakes Boating Federation.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
Print this story
E-mail this story
