i got an e-mail today from West Marine in responce to the Clean Boating Act...


[color:"red"] Tell Congress to Schedule a Vote on Clean Boating Act
H.R. 5949/ S, 2766 Must Pass by Sept. 30, 2008 to Avoid New Regulations on Boaters
Unless Congress passes the Clean Boating Act before September 30, 2008, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit just to operate their boat.

Without passage of the Clean Boating Act (H.R. 5949/S. 2766) before Sept. 2008, boaters will face yearly fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potential state-by-state regulations, citizen lawsuits and $32,000 per day penalties for non-compliance. These permits would apply to deck run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water and any other water-based, operational discharge from a recreational boat, which have never been considered pollutants in 35 years of the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency, due to a sweeping court order, is already writing this unprecedented new regulation for these everyday overboard water discharges. ...

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click on the link to help
http://www.boatblue.org/takeaction.aspx