OUR WATERWAYS Boaters Can Help Save Their Own Working Waterfront— Working Waterfronts Act of 2009 Needs Co-Sponsors From BoatU.S.
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orking waterfronts are a dying breed. With developer’s eyes on waterfront parcels, water-dependent businesses like marinas, boatyards, commercial fishing operations, boatbuilders, and charter boat fleets are getting pushed out from the only place they can do business. A bill now in Congress would provide federal funding to coastal and Great Lakes states to help preserve and protect working waterfronts. The Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.) urges boaters and anglers to contact their members of Congress to co-sponsor and support H.R. 2548, the “Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act of 2009.” Introduced in May by Rep. Chellie Pingree, (D-ME), and cosponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), the legislation would allow local governments to use federal grant funds to purchase a threatened marina outright, or a non-profit group could obtain a grant to buy development rights in order to keep a working boatyard in business, rather than see it sold for residential development. In introducing her bill, Rep. Pingree said, “Waterdependent, coastal-related businesses are economically and culturally important places to many coastal communities, and working waterfronts are quickly disappearing under the tremendous pressures from incompatible uses,” she added. Passage of H.R. 2548 would be particularly timely in that it would amend the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, now up for congressional reauthorization. Grants made under the Pingree bill must “provide for expansion or improvement of public access to coastal waters” and be matched at 25 percent by non-federal funds. The act would authorize $25-million, $50-million and $75-million to
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the states over three successive years. To be eligible for grant funding, a state would have to develop a working waterfront plan and appoint an advisory committee to oversee the program. “That would put decision-making where it should be, closer to the people and the businesses that depend on the waterfront in a given state,” said BoatU.S. Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs Ryck Lydecker. For more information on the bill as well as suggestions for writing your member of Congress, go to www.BoatUS. com/workingwaterfronts .
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Puts Out Notice on New Boating Laws From the FWC
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ew laws aimed at boating safety and protecting natural resources are in effect. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state are out to alert Floridians to new laws and enhancements to existing laws that deal with boating under the influence, boating safety education, waterway markers, possession of gasoline on a vessel and destruction of coral. The enhanced penalty for boating under the influence (BUI) is the same as it is for driving under the influence. The blood-alcohol level or breath-alcohol level of 0.20 that was a violation in the past has changed to 0.15. Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, any boater born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, will be required to take an approved boating safety course and possess an FWC-issued boating safety identification card. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who purchases a boat will have 90 days from the purchase date to obtain a boating safety identification card. Another prohibited activity is placement and use of a waterway marker that does not conform to the U.S. Aids to Navigation System and does not have an FWC permit. It’s also unlawful for boaters to moor to government-placed waterway markers or lawfully placed waterway markers except in emergency situations or with written consent of the marker’s owner. Also, it is illegal to possess or operate a vessel with nonconforming or unapproved gasoline containers or to transport gasoline in an unventilated or improperly ventilated compartment. Laws regarding titling, numbering and registration now apply to any vessel operated, used or stored on state waters except vessels lawfully stored at a dock or marina. Boaters who damage coral reefs are required to notify the Department of Environmental Protection. In addition, boaters who damage coral reefs are required to cooperate with that department to remove their vessels and to assess and restore the coral reef. To learn more about Florida’s boating requirements, visit MyFWC.com/Boating. www.southwindsmagazine.com