Jim McDermott got back to me after I contacted him back in early June. Look at the line in bold, not exactly a "I will vote for this", but it seems positive. I would have preferred him to say specifically I will support this legislation barring some egregious amendments or something to that affect.
Thank you for contacting me about pending environmental regulations targeting recreational boaters. I appreciate hearing your opinions on this issue.
As you know, a September 2006 court decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern California regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) boating regulations would require all boaters to purchase an environmental permit. This mandate changes a 34-year exemption that the EPA made for recreational boaters. The EPA is scheduled to implement these new regulations by September 30, 2008, unless Congress passes legislation to amend the language of the EPA mandate or reinstate the historical exemption for recreational boaters from federal permitting requirements.
Two bills have been introduced in the 110th Congress to address this issue. HR 5949, the Clean Boating Act, would exempt recreational boaters from needing EPA permits, while HR 2550, the Recreational Boating Act, would redefine the word "pollutant" in the Clean Water Act to exclude any discharge or runoff caused by a properly functioning recreational marine vessel. Both of these changes would exempt recreational boaters from the new EPA ruling.
HR 2550 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, while HR 5949 passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in May by a voice vote and is currently awaiting consideration on the House Floor. I have supported similar legislation in the past and will continue to monitor both HR 5949 and HR 2550 as this issue moves toward a vote in the House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Jim McDermott
Member of Congress