Clean Boating Act Of 2008

Floor Speech

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Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008, and to applaud my good friend and the bill's lead sponsor, Senator Nelson, who has been a tireless advocate on this issue for Florida's recreational boaters.

I also want to thank the distinguished chairman of the full committee and my good friend from Minnesota, Mr. Oberstar, for fulfilling a promise he made on the House floor when we considered the Coast Guard bill back in April. He promised then to take up this issue on behalf of recreational boaters before the September 30th deadline, and once again, the distinguished Chairman has proven that he is one of the truly great leaders of the House.

Mr. Speaker, in a mere 70 days, the nation's 73 million recreational boaters will face a huge and unreasonable regulatory burden as a result of a recent U.S. District Court decision. The underlying decision dealt primarily with halting the spread of invasive species through commercial ballast water--an effort I support, having seen firsthand the ravages of invasive species on Florida's environmental treasure: the Everglades. The U.S. District Court, however, did not limit its decision only to ballast water. Instead, it struck down a longstanding exemption for recreational boaters from obtaining a permit for incidental discharges.

As a result, 73 million boaters will be forced to obtain permits from the EPA or face fines as high as $32,500. To be frank, this is a ridiculous scenario. We don't need a new DMV for our recreational boaters, especially since the EPA feels ill-equipped to handle this new regulatory responsibility.

We must also not forget that this new permitting system will hurt an industry that is already suffering as a result of our country's economic downturn. In particular, the marine industry is a major economic force in my home state of Florida, responsible for over $18 billion of revenues and 220,000 jobs statewide. It's critical to note that $13 billion of the economic impact and 162,000 of those jobs as well as almost half of the industry's gross sales come from the tri-county region, much of which is in my Congressional district.

But this great industry is not without its own perils. People don't need boats, and they generally buy them when they are comfortable with the necessities of life. The industry is also affected by high interest rates, record insurance costs and rising property taxes, particularly for those on the waterfront. We must not add to their troubles this new regulatory burden that could prevent potential boaters from buying or using a boat. That's why I cosponsored the House version of the Clean Boating Act and have supported its swift passage.

Mr. Speaker, the Senate already has acted earlier this morning by passing S. 2766 and the next bill up for debate, S. 3298. I strongly support that bill as well because it provides a two-year moratorium for certain small commercial vessels and all fishing vessels from the regulatory permits. I urge my colleagues to follow suit and adopt both bills so we can stop this logistical and regulatory nightmare.

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