THE CLEAN BOATING ACT OF 2008 . . .

Turn the key and start your outboard motor, flip on your raw-water-cooled air conditioner, bail the rain water out of your dinghy, and you, fellow boaters, will be subject to paying a fine up to $32,000 per incident for being in violation of a 1973 EPA ruling, unless........

Unless Congress passes two resolutions currently before them:  S. 2766 and H.R. 5949, both called The Clean Boating Act of 2008.  If these two resolutions do not become law by September 30, 2008, exempting recreational boaters from the existing laws designed to govern larger container ships, the scenario in the first paragraph will be a reality.  Boating as we know it today could come to an end!

So what can you do?  Contact your Senator or Representative and urge them to put these two resolutions on the fast track for approval.  Haven't been politically active before and don't know how?  Google the following to get the answers:

S. 2766 (provides the Senate's version of The Clean Boating Act of 2008)

H.R. 5949 (provides the House's version of The Clean Boating Act of 2008)

senate.gov (provides you with the names of Senators from your state)

house.gov (provides you with the names of Representatives)

boatblue.org (lets you keep up with the latest developments) - we'll try to follow the progress and keep you up to date here.  

Get involved - keep recreational boating alive!

BOATING SAFETY EDUCATION . . .

"No person shall operate a motorboat with a motor of 10 horsepower or greater or personal watercraft on the public waters of the Commonwealth, unless the operator has met the requirements for boating safety education in accordance with the age provisions established..." and with those words, signed into law by Virginia's Governor on 20 March 2007, Virginia adopted a boating safety education LAW.

A phased-in plan starting on July 1, 2009, and with both personal watercraft and motorboat operators 20 years of age or younger, by 2016, all motorboat operators must complete an approved boating safety course or be subject to a civil penalty of $100.00.

To read the entire law, refer to Virginia House Bill 1627, 2007 session. 

Don't wait...... follow the links in this site and sign up for a public safe boating course today.