DOCK TALK
Make Your Voice Heard by Beth Crabtree
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t’s easy sometimes, to put on blindland counties must create fees to raise ers and earmuffs when it comes to money for stormwater pollution control what’s going on in our government. projects. In Virginia, 17 local governEven those who enjoy following local ment stormwater utilities are already in and national political conversations operation. And in both Maryland and are occasionally guilty of tuning it out Virginia, bills have been introduced this as background noise. For every flashy, year to delay or modify implementation simple (or seemingly so) issue that of previously passed laws. sparks copious letters to the editor, there are multiple complex and technical ones that are tough for the average person to wrap his head around. As boaters, we should stop and remind ourselves that the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures are only in session for a few weeks every year, and that means that now is the time to take heed of what’s going on in Annapolis and Richmond, especially as it pertains to the waters of the Bay and the interests of boaters. When it comes to the health of the Bay, in Maryland and Virginia (Pennsylvania too), the issue of stormwater regulation is front and center. Stormwater, or runoff, is water from precipitation that flows ##As boaters who enjoy spending time on the water, we have a over land, often from big stake in the health of the Bay. Photo by Al Schreitmueller streets and parking lots in developed areas. It can carry pollution into the Bay. Its regulation is a complex John Page Williams, senior naturalanimal, and just putting a name on the ist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundabeast can spark controversy. Some have tion, encourages more people to get dubbed the required revenue relating involved. He says, “Ask your readers to thereto to be a rain tax, while others call get educated on the issue and help work it a fee for controlling polluted runoff. out something that solves a complex Because of legislation passed last problem. It takes careful work to figure year, Baltimore City and nine Maryout what’s fair and also effective. As 14 March 2014 PropTalk
boaters who enjoy spending time on the water, we have a big stake in the health of the Bay, and as citizens of a democracy we all need to participate.” To get started, you can find your state legislator in Virginia at viginiageneralassembly.gov (and click on the blue tab at the top of the page), and in Maryland at mdelect. net. For ways that you can limit stormwater runoff on your own property, visit mde. state.md.us/programs/ Water/StormwaterManagementProgram/ SedimentandStormwaterHome/Pages/Programs/WaterPrograms/ sedimentandstormwater/ home/index.aspx. Here are two additional issues you should know. First, the current Maryland law regulating the operation of a motorized boat under the influence (OUI) doesn’t apply to sailboats, or at least it leaves room for debate. Maryland SB 94 provides that specified alcohol- or drug-related offenses would apply to a person operating a vessel propelled only by sail, thus closing the so-called loophole. Second, in Virginia, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has been gradually phasing in a mandatory boater education requirement. Beginning July 1, all boaters ages 45 years and younger need to complete a boating safety course and keep their Boater Education Card aboard when operating a vessel. dgif.virginia.gov/ boating/education/requirement. proptalk.com