Time is running out for America's recreational boaters & marine industry
ISSUE
The Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766/H.R. 5949) is a strong, bipartisan bill that emerged out of a consensus process in order to prevent the unnecessary and unprecedented EPA/state permitting of America's recreational boats for their incidental, overboard water discharges. On June 26, the bill was brought up in the Senate on an expedited voting procedure known as a Unanimous Consent Agreement. Unfortunately, one Senator objected to the bill, proposing instead that the legislation be expanded to include some commercial vessels. Under the Senate rules, this single objection has prevented the bill from moving forward right now.
Because commercial advocates and interest groups are ACTIVELY OPPOSING the Clean Boating Act even if doing so means that there will be no legislative relief for anyone, NMMA has decided to issue this Action Alert. NMMA is sympathetic to the concerns of the commercial vessel industry, but relief for recreational vessels can and should be achieved NOW.
Senators and especially the 39 Co-sponsors of the Clean Boating Act need to hear from boaters TODAY and they need to know that failure to pass the Clean Boating Act will not go unnoticed by America's 18 million recreational boat owners and the hundreds of thousands of marine industry employees nationwide.
ACTION
Your Senators and Representatives need to hear from you TODAY. Call them using the phone numbers below or write them at www.BoatBlue.org and tell them that you strongly support quick passage of S. 2766/H.R. 5949, the Clean Boating Act. If the bill is not passed before September 30, 2008, all recreational vessels will be swept up in a federal and state permitting regime for their weather run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water, and other incidental water discharges. Penalties for non-compliance are $32,500 per day per violation and citizen lawsuits.
Click here to easily write a letter in support of S. 2766.
http://www.boatblue.org/takeaction.aspx
CLEAN BOATING ACT COSPONSORS ARE STARRED
Senator Ted Stevens AK (202) 224-3004
Senator Lisa Murkowski AK (202) 224-6665
Senator Jeff Sessions AL (202) 224-4124
Senator Richard Shelby AL (202) 224-5744
Senator Mark Pryor AR (202) 224-2353
Senator Blanche Lincoln AR (202) 224-4843
Senator Jon Kyl AZ (202) 224-4521
Senator John McCain AZ (202) 224-2235
Senator Dianne Feinstein** CA (202) 224-3841
Senator Barbara Boxer** CA (202) 224-3553
Senator Wayne Allard** CO (202) 224-5941
Senator Ken Salazar CO (202) 224-5852
Senator Joseph Lieberman CT (202) 224-4041
Senator Christopher Dodd** CT (202) 224-2823
Senator Thomas Carper** DE (202) 224-2441
Senator Joseph Biden DE (202) 224-5042
Senator Bill Nelson** FL (202) 224-5274
Senator Mel Martinez** FL (202) 224-3041
Senator Saxby Chambliss** GA (202) 224-3521
Senator Johnny Isakson** GA (202) 224-3643
Senator Daniel Akaka HI (202) 224-6361
Senator Daniel Inouye HI (202) 224-3934
Senator Tom Harkin IA (202) 224-3254
Senator Charles Grassley IA (202) 224-3744
Senator Larry Craig** ID (202) 224-2752
Senator Mike Crapo** ID (202) 224-6142
Senator Richard Durbin IL (202) 224-2152
Senator Barack Obama IL (202) 224-2854
Senator Richard Lugar** IN (202) 224-4814
Senator Evan Bayh** IN (202) 224-5623
Senator Pat Roberts KS (202) 224-4774
Senator Sam Brownback KS (202) 224-6521
Senator Mitch McConnell KY (202) 224-2541
Senator Jim Bunning** KY (202) 224-4343
Senator Mary Landrieu** LA (202) 224-5824
Senator David Vitter** LA (202) 224-4623
Senator Edward Kennedy MA (202) 224-4543
Senator John Kerry** MA (202) 224-2742
Senator Benjamin Cardin** MD (202) 224-4524
Senator Barbara Mikulski** MD (202) 224-4654
Senator Olympia Snowe** ME (202) 224-5344
Senator Susan Collins** ME (202) 224-2523
Senator Debbie Stabenow** MI (202) 224-4822
Senator Carl Levin** MI (202) 224-6221
Senator Amy Klobuchar** MN (202) 224-3244
Senator Norm Coleman** MN (202) 224-5641
Senator Claire McCaskill MO (202) 224-6154
Senator Christopher Bond** MO (202) 224-5721
Senator Roger Wicker** MS (202) 224-6253
Senator Thad Cochran** MS (202) 224-5054
Senator Jon Tester MT (202) 224-2644
Senator Max Baucus MT (202) 224-2651
Senator Elizabeth Dole** NC (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr** NC (202) 224-3154
Senator Kent Conrad ND (202) 224-2043
Senator Byron Dorgan ND (202) 224-2551
Senator Ben Nelson NE (202) 224-6551
Senator Chuck Hagel NE (202) 224-4224
Senator John Sununu NH (202) 224-2841
Senator Judd Gregg NH (202) 224-3324
Senator Robert Menendez NJ (202) 224-4744
Senator Frank Lautenberg NJ (202) 224-3224
Senator Jeff Bingaman NM (202) 224-5521
Senator Pete Domenici NM (202) 224-6621
Senator John Ensign NV (202) 224-6244
Senator Harry Reid NV (202) 224-3542
Senator Hillary Clinton NY (202) 224-4451
Senator Charles Schumer** NY (202) 224-6542
Senator Sherrod Brown** OH (202) 224-2315
Senator George Voinovich** OH (202) 224-3353
Senator James Inhofe OK (202) 224-4721
Senator Tom Coburn OK (202) 224-5754
Senator Gordon Smith OR (202) 224-3753
Senator Ron Wyden OR (202) 224-5244
Senator Robert Casey PA (202) 224-6324
Senator Arlen Specter** PA (202) 224-4254
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse** RI (202) 224-2921
Senator Jack Reed** RI (202) 224-4642
Senator Lindsey Graham SC (202) 224-5972
Senator Jim DeMint SC (202) 224-6121
Senator Tim Johnson SD (202) 224-5842
Senator John Thune SD (202) 224-2321
Senator Bob Corker** TN (202) 224-3344
Senator Lamar Alexander TN (202) 224-4944
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison TX (202) 224-5922
Senator John Cornyn TX (202) 224-2934
Senator Orrin Hatch UT (202) 224-5251
Senator Robert Bennett
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