From Fl Sportsman
Recreational Boaters Exempt from “Bilge Water” Permit
An EPA ruling could have forced recreational anglers to have a permit for any water discharges while boating.
The House and Senate approved a group of bills Tuesday, July 22 to exempt recreational anglers from needing a permit for water discharges that occur during routine fishing trips. Discharges would have included bilge water, deck runoff, and the cooling water that trickles from the engine.
As Mike Conner points out in next month’s Shallow Water Angler, a District Court in northern California nullified an exemption in the Clean Water Act that allowed oceangoing ships to dump ballast water once inside a U.S. port. In the process, the ruling reversed an exemption for recreational boat discharges.
Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer and Sen. Bill Nelson sponsored the bill to exempt recreational boaters from that 2006 court decision. Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) sponsored a companion bill in the House. Both bills passed by voice vote.
Recreational Boaters Exempt from “Bilge Water” Permit
An EPA ruling could have forced recreational anglers to have a permit for any water discharges while boating.
The House and Senate approved a group of bills Tuesday, July 22 to exempt recreational anglers from needing a permit for water discharges that occur during routine fishing trips. Discharges would have included bilge water, deck runoff, and the cooling water that trickles from the engine.
As Mike Conner points out in next month’s Shallow Water Angler, a District Court in northern California nullified an exemption in the Clean Water Act that allowed oceangoing ships to dump ballast water once inside a U.S. port. In the process, the ruling reversed an exemption for recreational boat discharges.
Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer and Sen. Bill Nelson sponsored the bill to exempt recreational boaters from that 2006 court decision. Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) sponsored a companion bill in the House. Both bills passed by voice vote.
