| Happy New Year Friend!
From US Sailing Government Relations Vice President
James P. Muldoon
Hello All,
Happy New Year and welcome to the inaugural edition of US Sailing's Government Relations Quarterly Update.
With 2018 upon us, I wanted to provide the members of US Sailing's Government Relations Committee with an update addressing news across the recreational boating community. Please use the In this Issue section to the right as a guide to the information provided.
Additionally, Asst. Vice President of Government Relations Joanne Dorval and I, will be providing an in person update to the Government Relations Committee at the Sailing Leadership Forum 2018, organized by US Sailing in St. Pete Beach, Florida on January 31st from 1 pm - 2 pm. Please see the information below for more details. We hope to see everyone there!
Thank you to everyone that contributed to US Sailing's Government Relations Committee in 2017. We thank you for your continued commitment and support, and look forward to providing government relations updates in 2018.
Again, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful New Year!
Best Wishes,
James P. Muldoon
Vice President - Government Relations 1500 K Street, Suite 350 202-638-2788
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| In this Issue..
New Year Message:
- VP of Government Relations, James Muldoon
Meeting Agenda:
- Where, When, Agenda
Boating News:
- California Boating Safety Laws take affect Jan 1, 2018
- Renewable Fuel Standard for 2018 includes ethanol increase
Legislative News:
- Missouri Proposes Stricter Lifejacket and Wake Laws
Articles of Interest:
-Texas AG office will not release fatal Boy Scout sailing accident report
- USCG Seeks Input for Navigation Aids
US Sailing Foundation:
- Providing Access to Sailing, Training and Education,and Competitive Excellence
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| | Committee Meeting Details |
| Where: Sailing Leadership Forum 2018 TradeWinds Island Grand Resort 5500 Gulf Blvd St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
When: Wednesday, January 31, 2018 1PM -2PM Room: Jasmine
*Call in information will be provided for those who cannot attend in person
Agenda:
- Updates on fatal accidents in Texas & New York
- Legislation affecting sailing in Maryland and Florida- Tax Reform
- Ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard
- Carbon monoxide,
- Life jackets
- Electronic aids to navigation
- eLORAN/GPS
- Engine cut-off switches
- NBSAC update
*Additional agenda items may be added
Please see full 2018 Leadership Forum Schedule Here |
| | | California Boating Safety Laws take affect January 1, 2018
By: Mario Montalvo – ACTION NEWS NOWDecember 18, 2017
"Beginning January 1, 2018, boaters 16 to 20 years of age will need to have a boater education safety card to operate any motorized boat.
California is one of the last states to implement a program of this kind, and officials hope the new program will help reduce those numbers through education.
'We're hoping to have the injuries and deaths reduced by anything that we can put out there through education and hopefully get the safety through that,' said Shasta County Sheriff’s Office boating safety unit sergeant Rob Sandbloom.
Starting the first of the year, boaters 16 to 20 years of age will be required to take and pass an approved boater education course and apply for a California boater card.
The card will be phased in by age groups that will increase by five years every year.
And by 2025 boaters of all ages will be required to have the card.
'And they obviously want start with the younger generation because they're hoping the older generations have been boating and maybe have done self education,' Sandbloom said.
The Sheriff's Office currently provides a free boater safety course.
Boaters can then show proof they completed the course and pay one-time fee of $10 to get the card which is good for life."
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| Renewable Fuel Standard for 2018 Includes Ethanol Increase
By: BoatUS December 5, 2017
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard at 19.29 billion gallons, a 0.05 percent increase over the 2017 standard.
This summer, the EPA asked the public how much ethanol it wanted to be added to the nation’s gasoline supply, and recreational boaters as well as many other owners of gasoline engines and vehicles spoke up against increasing ethanol volumes under the RFS.
Signed into law in 2005, the RFS requires an increasing amount of biofuels, such as corn ethanol, to be blended into the gasoline supply."
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| | | | Missouri Proposes Stricter Wake and Lifejacket Laws
By: Amy Wilson - LakeNewsOnline December 16, 2017
"After the challenging wakes of the Lake of the Ozarks remained a bone of contention among some lakefront property owners and boaters in the 2017 boating season, State Rep. David Wood is taking another crack at a bill aimed at reducing damage to residential docks and enhancing water safety.
Wood’s new legislation includes the lifejacket infraction change as well as more significant modifications to the proposed wake measures. House Bill 1591 offers a give-and-take to some extent.
As in the old legislation, it would make violations of RSMo 306.100, Subsections 7 and 8 on certain lifejacket requirements, infractions with a fine of just $25 rather than being a misdemeanor with a fine of $185 and court costs.
The goal, according to Wood, is to encourage tickets for these violations with an aim of just a little pain in the pocketbook to better educate boaters on the importance of having the necessary lifesaving devices on board. Currently, few such tickets are written because the fine is considered so large for the nature of the violation.
The same system would go for boat wake violations under HB 1591.
RSMo 306.125 Subsection 3 states, “Vessels shall not be operated within 100 feet of any dock, pier, occupied anchored boat or buoyed restricted area on any lake at a speed in excess of slow-no wake speed.”
HB 1591 would make this an infraction with a fine of $25. More controversial will likely be the attachment of boat wake penalties to the owner of the vessel rather than the driver of the boat."
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| | | AG's office: Report on fatal Boy Scouts boating accident will not be released
By: Iris Rios - Digital Content Contributor - KLTV 7 News January 4, 2018
"The report on an electrocution that killed three East Texas boy scouts will not be released.
According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, they have ruled not to release the report on the boating accident at Lake O’ the Pines, which killed scouts Heath Faucheux, 17, Thomas Larry, 11, and Will Brannon, 17.
The scouts were fatally injured last August when their sailboat came into contact with power lines on the lake"
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| USCG Seeks Input in Navigation Aids
By: MAREX Staff - The Maritime Executive December 26, 2017
"The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking input from mariners for a study of navigation requirements in the Pacific Seacoast System.
The Waterways Analysis and Management System study will review the short range Aids to Navigation system that covers American waterways from the Canadian border to the Mexican border and around Alaska, Hawaii and all U.S. territories throughout the Pacific.
In addition to the survey input, the system-wide study will cover international requirements, environmental concerns, user capabilities, available technology and available resources.
The study is part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Future of Navigation initiative, the multi-year effort to analyze, optimize and modernize the nation's navigation systems.
Managed by the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Navigation Systems and maintained by Coast Guard buoy tenders and ATON teams around the nation, Aids to Navigation help mariners to determine their position, chart a safe course and steer clear of hazards.
Interested mariners and maritime stakeholders can provide input by taking the survey here.
The survey will be available until March 31, 2018."
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| | | US Sailing Foundation Provides Access to Sailing, Training, and Competition
Through the US Sailing Foundation, US Sailing has taken on the mission to inspire new sailors and grow participation in all types and at all levels of sailing, while upholding the highest standards of excellence and fairness. Focusing on Access to Sailing, Training and Education, and Competitive Excellence, the US Sailing Foundation is securing the financial resources required for US Sailing to innovate solutions and revitalize sailing by developing active, adaptable lifelong sailors.
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| Thank You Friend for Reading!
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| James Muldoon
Vice President, Government Relations US Sailing 1500 K Street NW Ste. 350 Washington, DC 20005 202-638-2788 |
| Joanne Dorval
Asst. Vice President, Government Relations US Sailing 1350 I Street NW Ste. 650 Washington, DC 20005 202-904-3280 |
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