Some pressing legislative issues will be high on the agenda at the American Boating Congress in Washington, DC, April 27–29. Chief among them is the Clean Boating Act of 2008, a bipartisan bill seeking to restore a decades-old exemption that frees pleasure boats from having to comply with EPA no-discharge regulations.

The regulations were originally aimed at controlling and treating ballast-water discharge from commercial shipping that can spread invasive aquatic species, but in 2006 a court ruled that every vessel in the country would have to comply, from supertanker to dinghy.

Unless the exemption is restored, every boatowner in the U.S. will have to obtain an operational discharge permit by September 30, 2008. Potentially, the boat will need a permit for every state it is operated in.

The exemption being sought for “normal operative discharges” covers runoff from decks, engine cooling-water exhaust, and gray-water discharge.

Another bill that is up for discussion is the Coastal Zone Management Act Reauthorization. This is an extension of the NOAA mandate to oversee the nation’s coastal areas. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is working with NOAA to make sure that recreational boating access is preserved in future coastal-management plans.