05-23-2007, 04:10 PM
As ridiculous as it seems, a Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the EPA did not have the power to exempt powerboats from a 34-year-old federal law intended to regulate ballast water discharges from commercial shipping. NMMA president, Thom Dammrich, says that if the industry and boat owners don't take this threat seriously and get the ruling overturned, they could be stopped by police at launch ramps unless they have expensive EPA permits.
Under the court's ruling in the case of Northwest Environmental Advocates, et. al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et. al., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to develop a permitting program for virtually all of the 18 million recreational boats in the United States by September 2008.
Even though the EPA is appealing the ruling and agrees with the NMMA that the ruling is nonsense, the EPA is nevertheless currently working on plans for the permitting of recreational boats across the country, says Dammrich.
Cargo ships use ballast water to compensate for weight changes as they load and unload cargo, and then pump out the water as needed. But this practice, coupled with the increase in global commerce, mean that more than 10,000 species a day are transported around the world in ballast water. The NMMA also wants to see the ballast water issue addressed as it relates to foreign invasive species because of the damage they pose to the aquatic environment and native fish species.
"The boating community is doing its part through our strong support for legislation that would stop the introduction and spread of invasive species," said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. "We have also invested in outreach and awareness campaigns to educate current and prospective boaters about how they can do their part to not inadvertently spread invasive species that have been introduced through ballast water."
Under the court's ruling in the case of Northwest Environmental Advocates, et. al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et. al., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to develop a permitting program for virtually all of the 18 million recreational boats in the United States by September 2008.
Even though the EPA is appealing the ruling and agrees with the NMMA that the ruling is nonsense, the EPA is nevertheless currently working on plans for the permitting of recreational boats across the country, says Dammrich.
Cargo ships use ballast water to compensate for weight changes as they load and unload cargo, and then pump out the water as needed. But this practice, coupled with the increase in global commerce, mean that more than 10,000 species a day are transported around the world in ballast water. The NMMA also wants to see the ballast water issue addressed as it relates to foreign invasive species because of the damage they pose to the aquatic environment and native fish species.
"The boating community is doing its part through our strong support for legislation that would stop the introduction and spread of invasive species," said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. "We have also invested in outreach and awareness campaigns to educate current and prospective boaters about how they can do their part to not inadvertently spread invasive species that have been introduced through ballast water."