Fox Island Yacht Club

REPRINTED FROM THE WASHINGTON WAVE (6/20/08) AND BOATBLUE.ORG

EPA Releases Draft National Boat Permit Proposal

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 24 published its Clean Water Act proposal in the Federal Register. The proposal seeks to impose new, unprecedented
requirements on recreational boaters, forcing them to learn and follow specific practices mandated by the federal government in order to operate their boats and manage everyday,
overboard water discharges. Please read the detailed press release issued in response to EPA's permit proposal - go to: http://www.boatblue.org/news.aspx?id=1737

EPA announced it will hold four public meetings (in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Portland) in the coming weeks regarding the published permit proposal. NMMA
participated in the first public meeting in Washington, D.C., on June 19.  NMMA is strongly encouraging anyone that can attend to please do so and make the case that this proposal
is bad for boating and boaters everywhere!  For meeting dates, times and locations, and to read the official EPA permit notice published in the Federal Register, please go to:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=350

EPA's proposal serves as further confirmation that boating enthusiasts need to unite and actively work to help pass the Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766 and H.R. 5949) before
the September 30, 2008 deadline.

NMMA urges Congress to quickly pass the Clean Boating Act so it may be enacted into law before the September 30 EPA permitting deadline.  NMMA called upon boaters and boating
industry representatives across the country to reach out to their Senators and Representatives and strongly urge them to sign on as supporters of the Clean Boating Act
through the grassroots action website on the permitting issue: http://www.boatblue.org/.

For more information, visit: http://www.boatblue.org/ or contact Mat Dunn at: mailto:mdunn%40nmma.org; 202- 737-9760). (end)
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MORE INFO DIRECT FROM THE EPA....

Dear Stakeholders,

I am writing to announce that EPA has proposed two NPDES general permits for vessel discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. EPA's press release announcing the proposal of these permits follows this email in text.  The permits were formally announced this morning in the Federal Register.  We have identified you as a stakeholder potentially interested in this project because you have either met with a member of our team or me, submitted comments to the June 21, 2007 EPA Federal Register notice requesting data on vessel discharges, or your organization has previously expressed interest in EPA NPDES permit or wastewater issues.

The permits, fact sheets, and economic analyses can be found on our webpage at:  www.epa.gov/NPDES/vessels.  A full list of supporting documents are also available at http://www.regulations.gov/ in the docket numbers OW-2008-0055 (commercial vessels and large recreational vessels) and OW-2008-0056 (recreational vessels and uninspected passenger vessels under 79 feet).  The materials on the website provide further explanation about why EPA is taking this action and the types of vessels and vessel discharges these permits will impact.  Furthermore, both the fact sheets and the Federal Register notice contain instructions for submitting comments to the docket on these permits.

There will be public meetings, a public hearing, and a webcast, the schedule and details of which follow:

Public meetings

Thursday June 19, 2008
EPA East Building, Room 1153
1201 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Red Lion Hotel-Portland Convention Center
1021 NE Grand Ave
Portland, Oregon 97232
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Pacific

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Avenue Hotel
160 E. Huron Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Central

Webcast

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Go to www.epa.gov/npdes/training on or about June 18 for information on how to register and attend the webcast. 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Eastern

Public Hearing

Monday, July 21, 2008
EPA East Building, Room 1153
1201 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern

The public meetings and hearing are open to the public. No advanced registration is necessary.

If you have questions about the recreational vessel permit, please send an email to recreationalvesselpermit@epa.gov.  If you have formal comments to submit or the public record, please be sure to submit those comments as instructed in either fact sheet or the FR notice (questions sent to these email addresses will not be added to the docket).  Those instructions are copied and pasted in text following the EPA press release below.

Thank you very much and please contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely yours,

Ryan Albert, Ph.D.
Environmental Scientist
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,
Mail Code: 4203M
Washington DC 20460
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News For Release: Monday, June 16, 2008

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

EPA Proposes Vessel Discharge Permits

Contact: Latisha Petteway, (202) 564-4355 /petteway.latisha@epa.gov

(Washington, DC June 16, 2008)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing two general permits under the Clean Water Act that will cover discharges incidental to normal operation of commercial and recreational vessels. Based on agency estimates, as many as 91,000 commercial vessels and about 13 million recreational boats could be affected.

EPA is proposing a practical approach as we work with Congress on a longer-term, comprehensive solution, said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. We believe it is good environmental policy and common sense to promote clean boating without imposing new permits on millions of boaters.

As a result of a court ruling currently under appeal, vessel owners or operators whose discharges have previously been exempt from Clean Water Act requirements for the last 35 years will require a permit as of September 30, 2008. EPA is proposing control technologies and management practices that enhance environmental protection and are practical to implement.

The commercial and large recreational vessel general permit (VGP) would cover all commercial vessels and recreational vessels 79 feet or longer. For vessels that carry ballast water, it would incorporate the Coast
Guard mandatory ballast water management and exchange standards, and have supplemental ballast water requirements. The VGP would provide technology-based and water-quality-based effluent limits for other types of discharges including deck runoff, bilgewater, gray water and other types of pollutants. The permit also establishes specific corrective actions, inspections and monitoring requirements as well as recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Only a subset of the vessels potentially affected by this permit will have to submit a Notice of Intent for coverage; for all the other vessels their coverage would be automatic.

The permit for smaller recreational vessels measuring less than 79 feet in length contains simpler provisions. These smaller vessels, which are substantially different in both size and operation from larger vessels, would need to comply with new and established best management practices. In addition, these smaller vessels would not be required to submit a Notice of Intent for coverage under the permit; their coverage would be  automatic.

EPA is inviting comments on both proposed permits for a period of 45 days. EPA will be holding public meetings and a hearing starting June 19.

June 19 - Washington, DC meeting
June 24 - Portland, Oregon meeting
June 26 - Chicago, Illinois meeting
July 2 - public Webcast meeting
July 21 - Washington, DC hearing

Information on the permits and meetings:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels

Instructions for submitting comments

Comments may be submitted to EPA in the following ways:


EPA Dockets. Use of EPA's electronic public docket to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

E-mail. Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to ow-docket@epa.gov, Attention: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0055.  In contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an anonymous access system. If you send an email comment directly to the Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.

   By Mail. Send the original and three copies of your comments to:
      Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 4101T,
      1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC, 20460, Attention:
      Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0055.
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CONFUSED?????? GO TO http://www.boatblue.org/news.aspx?id=17372 for more information.

This is exactly why we need to pass S.2766, the CLEAN BOATING ACT OF 2008 that exempts boaters from all these permits!
-NBF

MESSAGE RELAY FROM RBAW BOARD MEMBER KELLIE HAMMETT OF EDMONDS YACHT CLUB.....

This subject may have been broached before and many may already know of this scheme. My license is coming up for renewal soon (after ten years). There is an outfit doing business under the name of 'Business Radio Licensing' and they somehow are aware of my impending renewal. From them, I received a rather official looking cover letter and copy of a government renewal form. They are asking for a processing fee of $340.

At first blush, it looked rather suspicious especially considering the amount of the fee, so I just filed it away for future reference. A few days later, along comes a 'Renewal Reminder Notice' from the FCC, so I do some investigating by calling the FCC about how to go about renewing due to the very confusing nature of the 'Notice.' I was then given a web-site, wireless.fcc.gov/uls/, to actually complete the renewal process. Too bad this site doesn't appear on the notice (could be so much simpler).

While I was on the phone with the FCC, I inquired about 'Business Radio Licensing' and was told (as I suspected) that this third party just collects the fee plus $180 (FCC fee is $160) and sends the form you completed to the FCC.

So much for our government giving us the protection we deserve and pay for! Why can't they give us some kind of heads-up on something like this? Makes one wonder how many fall for this rip-off.

Cheers,
Kellie

Attached is an article that will be published in the upcoming USNI Proceedings magazine and was provided by Commandant Allen regarding the possible use of a small vessel as a threat against the U.S. maritime transportation system. 

As your associations represent small vessel stakeholders, I am providing it so you will be aware and be able to educate your association on it when it is published in October. Please pass on to your boards and committee membership.

US Coast Guard Security Article