http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills info@washingtonwatch.com http://www.pjdoland.com/chai/?v=0.1 http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#44752 The charter captains of the Great Lakes are the most informed and the best Stuarts of the Great Lakes. We already have D.N.R and Coast Guard Regs regulating gray water and bilge water spills. This bill goes way beyond the target of large oceangoing freighters. this bill does not need to encompass charter boats.Our biggest threat are all the invasive species that are changing the great lakes!... 44752@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:56:48 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#44561 As a charter boat operator on the Great Lakes we are obligated by the Coast Guard and the law not to dump oil of gas into the water. We are inspected every 2 years by our Department of Conservation to make sure our boats are in good running order and withing emmission paramertors. When washing down my boat, I/we use Biodegradable soaps to do so. Bigger Boats/Ships may need such a law, but the smaller crafts certainly do not.... 44561@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:54:54 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#44559 This legislation is far reaching and well outside of the scope of its original intent to protect waterways from large ocean going ships from dumping their bilge and waste water. It should not include small recreational vessels and incidental discharge.... 44559@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:32:09 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#39903 Do they also mean that because the he "Old Man and the Sea" intended to sell (commercial) his fish when he got home,that his rowboat needs to have a discharge permit to use a sardine can to bail out his bilge? -------- Yea right !!... 39903@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:05:04 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#39077 The court's decision to apply this Act to private vessels and all discharges is to carry government overreach to the extreme. Fuel, oil & sewage discharges are already PROHIBITED. This act would require permitting, not prohibition, of harmless discharges such as engine cooling water, bilge water--primarily from leaks and rain, grey water from showers and washing, and even deck runoff which can not be controlled. This original law was intended to control commercial ballast water, not incidental discharge from recreational boats.... 39077@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:09:19 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#38568 The passage of this bill brings the original intent of the Clean Water Act into force. It was designed to control commercial ships from discharge of bilge water and waste water into Federal Regulated Waters. It was not intended to impact recreational boaters. This bill is an effort to clarify the original legislation, after the courts brought the impact of the law into force on all vessels engaged on our waters.... 38568@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:41:32 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#38306 The District Court of Northern Califonia ruled that the EPA cannot ecempt any vessels from the required pollutant discharge process. That this process is about are bilge tanks that collects the excess deisel and oils from ocean going ships. My little sail boad can fit inside a typical bilge tank, and most recreational boats do not have them, but I would be required to get the permit for it anyway. S.2766 would prevent this ruling from potentially ruining the recreational boating industry. There are already laws about discharges from recreational boats which does protect the environment.... 38306@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:00:39 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#38162 If either of the 2 bills are NOT passed, it will just be another tax on recreational boaters.There are already laws prohibiting discharge from boats ,, like I said big government trying to tax... 38162@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:11:36 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#37919 Jack, Bill S.2766 and HR 5949 are being introduce to help protect recreational boating as we currrently know it. Without these proposals after Oct 2008 you will be required to have a permit for all waters your boat discharges. You can also be subject to citzen lawsuits for those discharges under the current EPA propsal and subjected to fines up to $32,500 per day. Dawn, Mr nelson is not putting forth a Bill that reverses the protection of our resources. He is making permenant what has been the standard for the last 35 years. Also under the Bills there is more money available to monitor the current discharges and allows individual states to take action where they see fit.... 37919@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:15:54 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#37701 As the owner of an open 17 foot outboard powered fishing boat, I do not believe this bill (S2766)should apply to ALL boats, just the ones that have the possibility of polluting in the normal course of their regular use (grey, bilge or cooling water); there is no sense in requiring ALL boats to be licensed in this manner.... 37701@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:56:13 EDT http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_PL_110-288.html#37518 As a resident of the State of Florida I am very disappointed in our Delegate Bill Nelson. To put up a bill that reverses the protection of our beautiful natural resource the ocean. Consider the impact that this will have on our environment. There is a significant number of recreational boaters in the state for Florida along and to sit back allow all of them now to dump their engine water dirt and boat runoff into our canal and water ways would be a seriouse attack on our wildlife and water quality that we currently enjoy. When do we finally stand up and start protecting our environment rather than continuing to pollute it.... 37518@http://www.washingtonwatch.com Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:42:24 EDT