The Congressional cavalry has heard the pleas from boaters --
but will they
arrive in time
to save us from the EPA bureaucrats?
Just before press time
we asked the "general" leading the charge in Washington, D.C. for passage of this
boater legislation what BTC could do to hasten the passage of this critical bill.
He said, "Keep urging co-sponsorship. Focus particularly on coastal states that
haven’t signed on -- AK, CT, DE, HI, IN, MA, NH, NJ, NY, OR, SC, TX, VA, WA, WI."
One-Third of the Senate has Co-Sponsored
Our legislative leader tells us that boaters should take heart from what has already
been accomplished. "For the bill to have picked up a third of the senate with equal
split R and D in two months is major. I’m not sure any other senate bill has that
many bipartisan cosponsors," he said.
Getting more Senators and Congressmen to sign onto the bill as co-sponsors is still
the best strategy. If enough sign on, then the bill's handler's in the Senate can
urge "unanimous consent" and if there are no objections, the bill is bundled with
other "UC" legislation and it is passed. It is then sent to the House, where it
should move along with other "non-controversial" bills.
YOUR Letters Matter
The letters that BTC readers have sent to Congress (40% of the total) do make a
difference! When BTC staffers met with Congressmen and Senators in April, all asked
their staff if they had had any mail on the bill. When they were answered in the
positive, all said that was important to their making a decision.
The Essence of the Matter
Both S. 2766 and H.R. 5949 (which are identical bills) have bi-partisan support
and have been passed by their respective committees in both houses. The Clean Boating
Act of 2008 is a non-controversial bill that re-establishes an EPA ruling that held
up for 35 years. Further, it is a jobs issue for the boating industry and it does
not roll back any environmental requirements. The passage of this act will restore
common-sense government.
Write Once Again, You have nothing to lose but your EPA Permits!
Loyal readers and defenders of boater's rights and fair play, we urge you once again
to raise you voices with e-mail messages to Congress. Take just 3 minutes to fill
out the attached material which will be automatically be sent to your congressional
representatives. (Click Here.)
Better yet, write on your own stationary or call the congressional offices. Thank
you for defending boating.
Senatorial Heroes: 33
Potential Heroes: 67 There are 51
days before you'll need an EPA permit to go boating.