03-30-2007, 08:10 PM
Under the Clean Water Act, commercial vessels are required to have permits to discharge ballast water. This permitting requirement was initially put in place to prevent aquatic invasive species from entering U.S. waters. Although there was no specific exemption in the Act for other types of discharge a vessel might have - bilge water, laundry, shower and galley sink waste, deck runoff, engine cooling water, anti-fouling paint and others - the EPA exempted recreational vessels from discharge permit requirements. However, a group of environmentalists sued the EPA, and in 2005 won their argument that the exemption was illegal under the Clean Water Act. The EPA now has until September 2008 to rescind the exemption and require individual recreational boaters to navigate the same complex Clean Water Act permitting requirements designed for large commercial vessels. The EPA is appealing the ruling, and ASA is working with the National Marine Manufacturer's Association and other industry groups to persuade Congress to pass a law preserving the exemption for recreational boaters from the Clean Water Act permit rules.