[Public-List] S. 2766: Clean Boating Act of 2008

[John S. Riley]

bill and helen wrote:
> This may be a stupid question but the website for govtrack.us 
> regarding this bill was down so I couldn't read it. Does this again 
> make it legal to use through-hull head discharge?

No.

There is a law on the books that makes ANY overboard discharge illegal  
- bilge effluent, rain runoff, etc.  The law was geared toward big ships 
that pump ballast water overboard entering harbors.  That is, such 
discharge was illegal if you did not have a permit issued by the EPA, 
which essentially certified that ALL and ANY overboard discharge (NOT 
from heads, this law is not dealing with that) from your vessel was 'clean.'

There was an exemption for recreational boaters; that exemption was due 
to expire this year.  The passage of the Bills referenced extends the 
exemption.  If the exemption does not become law, we would all have to 
purchase the permits (quite costly) or face severe fines if any water 
leaves our boats.

-- 
John S. Riley
s/v Gaelic Sea
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