The U.S. 'Clean Boating Act of 2008'

Select Language Chinese Arabic French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish English

Not many of the boating federations in the world are as powerful as the Great Lakes Boating Federation in USA, that is not only a community-based meeting place for boaters in the Great Lakes region, but also has the strength of 4.3 million boaters.


A couple of years ago, environmentalist in the U.S. of A. had threatened to regulate discharge on boats navigating the Great Lakes. This was instigated by the predatory aquatic nuisances that have come to decimate the indigenous aquatic life within the Great Lakes.

THE CASE AGAINST THE GREAT LAKES' BOATERS

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 2008.

THE ACT

Congress has passed the “Clean Boating Act of 2008,” President Bush signed it, and thirteen 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 longstanding exemption to this harsh permitting procedure has been permanently restored.


Had the “Clean Boating Act of 2008” not been passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, the 13 million U.S. boaters would have faced a calamity of monumental proportion. 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

Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as inland seas or Canada and the United States' Third Coast.

The Great Lakes region possesses 20 percent of the world’s fresh water resources and is home to 4.3 million freshwater boaters. This exemption is a relief to all the boaters that bring $60 billion of economic good to the U.S. economy, $16 billion of which is based in the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Boating Federation serves as advocacy voice to boaters on the Great Lakes in US and Canada.

"BOATERS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE..."

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 water’s clean. Rather, boaters are important stewards of U.S. waters.


The Clean Water Act will allow them to continue enjoying their boating sport and life style while nourishing their coastal economies without needless bureaucratic oversight.

SOURCE