JUDGE RULES
IN FAVOR OF MARCO ISLAND CRUISERS
MARCO ISLAND ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS
RULED INCONSISTENT WITH FLORIDA
STATE LAW
HUGE VICTORY FOR THE ENTIRE CRUISING
COMMUNITY!!!!
City of Marko Appeals
EPA
Discharge Permit Requirement for
Recreational Boats
GRAY WATER
INFO
For 34
years the federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has
exempted discharges from
recreational boats from the
Clean Water Act permit system.
Regretfully, a recent court
ruling cancelled this permit
exemption. EPA is required by
the court decision to develop
and implement by September 30,
2008 a national permit system
for ALL vessels in the United
States for a variety of normal
operational discharges.
We have been working behind the
scenes with other boating
organizations to get the
exemption reinstated for
recreational boats. Fortunately,
the Recreational Boating Act of
2007 (H.R. 2550) has been
introduced by Representatives
Gene Taylor (D-Miss) and Candice
Miller (R-Mich) which would
protect recreational boats from
being swept into this
unnecessary and expensive
permitting system.
It is critically important that
H.R. 2550 be passed and your
support is essential.
Please contact your Congressman
and Senators TODAY and ask that
they co-sponsor or support H.R.
2550.
If the permit system becomes a
reality, you will be required to
pay for a state permit for each
of your boats. EPA will be
monitoring your deck runoff,
grey water, bilge water, engine
cooling water, and the use of
copper bottom paints.
The original lawsuit that led to
this court decision sought to
address ballast water discharges
from large ocean-going ships,
which can introduce damaging
aquatic invasive species into
U.S. waters.
from Boat US news
LAKE OKEECHOBEE REPORT
Go to LINKS page for daily update on
depths
Ringling Bridge
Area
The
Coast
Guard
has
installed
a
new
lighted
G11
mark
near
R10
that
will
be a
great
help
so
that
boaters
avoid
the
dangers
presented
by
debris
from
the
original
Ringling
Bridge. Charlie Pantelakos - Seventh
Coast
Guard
District
Technical
Support
Group
got
this
work
approved
and
the
mark
installed.
Thank
you
Charlie.
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NEWS
The
Council has obtained a new, permanent mailing address which should
be used by our member clubs and vendors.
The Florida Council of Yacht Clubs, Inc.
2655 Ulmerton Road, Box 282
Clearwater, FL 33762
Program Easing Boaters' Re-Entry to U.S.
click to go to
Coast Guard
page
Boaters Urged to Report Manatee
Strikes
Florida boaters need no longer fear
penalties for hitting a manatee and if they report the incident, it could
help the animals in the long run.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which have
joint regulatory authority for the "sea cows" are encouraging boaters to
report accidental watercraft collisions for two reasons. First a quick
response can increase the chances of rescuing and treating an injured
animal, and returning it to the wild.
Second, reports will help scientists
understand other boat strikes. If for example, they can match the marks on
an animal with the type of boat or propeller causing the wound, that could
lead to management changes to prevent such strikes and could even lead to
future design changes in boats. Presently, there are only a handful of cases
where the actual vessel that struck a manatee is known.
The agencies credit Bill Allbright,
government affairs chairman of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs, as the
driving force behind the policy change.
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