Clean Boating Act of 2008
Latest action · Jul 29, 2008 Became Public Law No: 110-288.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 13, 2008
- Passed SenateJul 22, 2008
- Passed HouseJul 22, 2008
- To the PresidentJul 25, 2008
- Became lawJul 29, 2008Public Law 110-288
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Clean Boating Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to provide that no permit shall be required by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for the discharge from a recreational vessel of graywater, bilge water, cooling water, weather deck runoff, oil water separator effluent, or effluent from properly functioning marine engines or for any other discharge that is incidental to the normal operation of such vessel.
Defines a "recreational vessel" as any vessel that is leased, rented, or chartered to a person for that person's pleasure or that is manufactured or used primarily for pleasure, excluding vessels that are subject to Coast Guard inspection and that are engaged in commercial use or that carry paying passengers.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) determine the discharges that are incidental to the normal operation (excluding sewage) of a recreational vessel for which it is reasonable and practicable to develop management practices to mitigate adverse impacts on U.S. waters within a year of this Act's enactment and to review such determinations every five years; and (2) develop management practices for recreational vessels to mitigate the adverse impacts of such discharges on U.S. waters. Directs the Administrator, in determining what discharges are incidental to normal operations, to consider: (1) the nature of the discharge; (2) its environmental effects; (3) the practicability of using a management practice; (4) the effect that such practice would have on the operation, operational capability, or safety of the vessel; (5) applicable federal and state law and international standards; and (6) the economic costs of the use of the management practice.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) promulgate federal standards of performance (which may distinguish among vessel types) for each discharge for which such a management practice is developed; and (2) review them every five years. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations governing the design, construction, installation, and use of management practices for recreational vessels as necessary to meet such standards. Prohibits a recreational vessel from operating in or discharging in U.S. waters if such owner or operator is not using applicable management practices in compliance with such regulations.
Cosponsors 39
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 13, 2008 to Jul 22, 2008; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Original | Mar 13, 2008 |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Mar 31, 2008 | |
| R-GA | Johnny Isakson | Mar 31, 2008 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Mar 31, 2008 | |
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Apr 1, 2008 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Apr 1, 2008 | |
| R-LA | David Vitter | Apr 1, 2008 | |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Apr 2, 2008 | |
| R-ME | Olympia J. Snowe | Apr 2, 2008 | |
| R-NC | Richard Burr | Apr 2, 2008 | |
| R-GA | Saxby Chambliss | Apr 3, 2008 | |
| R-MS | Thad Cochran | Apr 3, 2008 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Apr 4, 2008 | |
| D-MI | Carl Levin | Apr 7, 2008 | |
| R-OH | George V. Voinovich | Apr 7, 2008 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Apr 9, 2008 | |
| R-NC | Elizabeth Dole | Apr 9, 2008 | |
| R-ID | Larry E. Craig | Apr 9, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Apr 10, 2008 | |
| R-TN | Bob Corker | Apr 14, 2008 | |
| D-IN | Evan Bayh | Apr 14, 2008 | |
| R-MN | Norm Coleman | Apr 21, 2008 | |
| D-LA | Mary L. Landrieu | Apr 22, 2008 | |
| D-PA | Arlen Specter | Apr 24, 2008 | |
| D-WI | Herb Kohl | Apr 24, 2008 | |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Apr 24, 2008 | |
| D-CT | Christopher J. Dodd | Apr 28, 2008 | |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Apr 28, 2008 | |
| R-MO | Christopher S. Bond | Apr 29, 2008 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Apr 30, 2008 | |
| R-KY | Jim Bunning | May 15, 2008 | |
| D-VA | Jim Webb | May 15, 2008 | |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | May 21, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | May 21, 2008 | |
| R-FL | Mel Martinez | Jun 12, 2008 | |
| R-IN | Richard G. Lugar | Jun 12, 2008 | |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Jun 18, 2008 | |
| R-CO | Wayne Allard | Jun 18, 2008 | |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Jul 22, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Environment and Public Works Committee | Referred Mar 13, 2008Markup May 21, 2008Reported Jun 23, 2008 |
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Exchange of letters Aug 15, 2008 |
Actions 18
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 29, 2008Signed by President.
- Jul 29, 2008Became Public Law No: 110-288.
- Jul 25, 2008Presented to President.
- Jul 22, 2008Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6981-6983; text as passed Senate: CR S6982-6983)
- Jul 22, 2008Message on Senate action sent to the House.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7732 | Bill Nelson D-FL | Jul 30, 2008 |
| House · Senate | Debate and remarks H6749–H6752, S6981Text printed H6749, S6982 | Christopher Shays R-CT, Eddie Bernice Johnson D-TX, James L. Oberstar D-MN, Lisa Murkowski R-AK, Patty Murray D-WA, Ron Klein D-FL, Steven C. LaTourette R-OH | Jul 22, 2008 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6267 | Barbara Boxer D-CA, Bill Nelson D-FL, Lisa Murkowski R-AK | Jun 26, 2008 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jun 5, 2008S. 2766, Clean Boating Act of 2008<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on May 21, 2008</p>
- Jun 5, 2008S. 2766, Clean Boating Act of 2008Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on May 21, 2008
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-139 | DISCHARGES INCIDENTAL TO THE NORMAL OPERATION OF A COMMERCIAL VESSEL215 pages | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Jun 12, 2008 |
| S. Hrg. 110-533 | BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE68 pages | Armed Services Committee | Feb 7, 2008 |
CRS reports 3
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 3
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45050 | Vessel Incidental Discharge Legislation in the 115th Congress: Background and Issues Archived | Report | Jan 26, 2018 |
| R42142 | EPA’s Vessel General Permits: Background and Issues Archived | Report | Oct 12, 2016 |
| R40098 | Water Quality Issues in the 111th Congress: Oversight and Implementation Archived | Report | Jan 11, 2011 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 5949 | Clean Boating Act of 2008 | Identical bill | Jul 29, 2008 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to address certain discharges incidental to the normal operation of a recreational vessel.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Clean Boating Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Clean Boating Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Clean Boating Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Clean Boating Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Clean Boating Act of 2008
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
- Administrative procedure
- Boats and boating
- Coast guard
- Department of Homeland Security
- Environmental Protection
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Government Operations and Politics
- Law
- Licenses
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Marine engines
- Marine pollution
- Sports and Recreation
- Standards
- Transportation and Public Works
- Water pollution control
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 24, 2008Enrolled Bill
- Jul 22, 2008Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 23, 2008Reported to Senate
- Mar 13, 2008Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
