ODDS

RIDGE, Md. - Chesapeake Bay crabber Paul Kellam has advice for the teenage boys who help tend his traps every summer: You better have a backup plan

The National Boating Federation General Membership Annual Meeting was opened by President Barrington at 0900, after refreshments were served at 0830. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all, led by President Barrington.

Bill Albright, of the Carlouel Yacht Club, our meeting host, spoke for a few minutes, welcoming all to the meeting, and introduced our chef, who has done an excellent job.

Secretary Tom Dogan held the roll call, 13 regular members were present, constituting a proper quorum. His Annual Membership Meeting minutes were submitted for review. Motion was made by Penny Orth the accept the minutes, seconded by Earl Waesche. Motion Approved.

Treasurer Bill Heider gave his treasurer’s report. Motion to accept the report was made by Ev Tucker, seconded by Margot Brown. Motion Approved.

Margot Brown gave a talk about the Lookout, it is now regularly being produced, and

Earl Waesche then gave his legislative report. He discussed the Clean Water Act, and the recent court ruling that even recreational vessels were subject to the act. The NBF will maintain an active role in persuading congress to pass an amendment to the act exempting recreational boaters from the onerous requirements of the act, which regulate bilge water discharge, runoff from decks, grey water discharge, etc. Earl will be attending the NOAA symposium to be held soon. He will also attend the Small Vessel Security Summit to be held to discuss how to prevent attacks similar to the US Cole attack. Rescue 21 was discussed, and the implementation of same. He encouraged all to obtain DSC-enabled radios, which will give your lat-lon to potential rescuers in an emergency situation. We also continue to be active on the issue of eminent domain, and to encourage state and federal legislators to pass legislation limiting eminent domain powers of governments. Loran C discontinuation was discussed, the Coast Guard indicated they would not include funding for Loran in their recent statements. The Chinese have "painted" one of our satellites as an experiment, preventing their GPS operations. Also, solar flares have disrupted the service recently. So, Loran is important to be continued as a backup to GPS. We now understand that the Coast Guard intends to temporarily at least continue Loran C coverage. CAFÉ standards were discussed as impacting boaters, if the standards are set too high, boaters won’t be able to purchase vehicles to tow their boats on the roads. Looming is Wallop-Breaux reauthorization, we were unhappy with the last authorization, because too little money was allocated to recreational boating, and too much money allocated to fishing.

Fred Poppe gave his report on the Chicago Yachting Association. He is working on a coalition to encourage mandatory boater education, and was asked by the Coast Guard to do this. They are fighting the tying-in of driver’s licenses with boating permits, etc.

Tom Dogan gave his report on the activities of the Lake Michigan Yachting Association. We continue to battle the invasive species in Lake Michigan, the spiny water flea, snakehead carp, Asian carp, lamprey eel, the round headed goby, etc. The electric fence on the Calumet River is up and running temporarily. Type 1 life preservers will be required to transit this area. Also, Tom attended the symposium on Coast Guard Gunnery Exercises which was held in Sturgeon Bay, WI last fall. As the result of his testimony and the testimony of others, Admiral Crowley announced that the Coast Guard would retract it’s gunnery exercises for the time being, and would reconsider how to implement these. Problems raised with these are the amount of lead being dumped in Lake Michigan, and also safety issues with the zones, etc.

Margot Brown gave report for the Pacific Inter-Club Yachting Association. The have the Quanga mussel, related to the zebra mussel, but so small that it’s like sandpaper to the touch. A proposal has been submitted to the legislature for mandatory boater education.

Marlene Barrington gave her report on the Northwestern Boating Council. NBC continues to support Blake Island as a premiere boating destination in Puget Sound.

They are working with the Ranger to design and erect a huge lighted flagpole that could be seen from Elliott Bay and Seattle. They did an immense clean-up this year due to a huge Dec. 14, 2006 storm. They continue to have a presence at the Puget Sound Harbor Safety meetings held bi-monthly. Also, they continue to encourage children in boating and have programs for this. Their website is www.northwesternboatingcouncil.org, and she encourages all to visit there.

David Kutz gave his report on the Potomac River Yacht Clubs Association. They have 50 yacht clubs in their association. They have an alliance which was boater education, and now evolved into a team with boater education, law enforcement, etc. They had a bill that would take money from the excise taxes collected from the state, and would be used for a boater activities account, to support law enforcement and other boating activities. They supported the Derelict Vessel Bill, which would cover unsafe derelict vessel removal. They supported a $2.00 per registration surcharge to support the cost of removal of the vessels. Senate Resolution 824 was to commend the association for 50 years of service to the boaters of Washington. They passed a bill this year to allow new boat buyers to stay in the state 12 months without being subject to use or excise tax. There is also a bill to require that all boats over 30 feet long be required to carry insurance. This was due to all the marine fires they have had, but the bill died. They are encouraging the limitation of pumpout requirements since there are so few pumpout stations along the coast. The proposed rules require reporting of pumpouts, etc. The customs user decal rose from 25.00 to 27.50. There is a lot of confusion on whether passports are required for entry to Canada. For recreational boaters it’s not required this year, but commercial will require this. Starting Jan. 1, state boater education is required. This is working out well.

IOBG District 1 report was given by Marlene Barrington. They meet twice a year and have a picnic. They support several groups like Wishing Star and Make a Wish Foundation. Each organization was presented with a check for $4,500.00 due to their efforts. Volunteers obtain the liquor licenses and food handling permits to man the booths.

After break, at 1015, Patricia Walker of the Sea Scouts gave her report. They had a 5 day long event in Miami for the Sea Scouts. A Regatta for young men ages 14 to 21 will be head in July. They have international participants from many countries, increasing every year. They test their seamanship and nautical skills in various sailing boats. The price is only $150.00, so it’s affordable to most all. The kids come back with a whole new outlook on life. There are SEAL classes, advanced youth leadership courses. 6 kids and 2 adults go out on a boat, and the kids are in charge. Sea Scouts has a new marketing program, with brochures produced for kids to take and learn from. They have signed an MOU with the Marine Technology Society, which organization provides scholarships and training to kids who want to learn marine technology. Kids join Sea Scouts to learn how to sail, when their parents can’t afford yacht clubs.

John M. Johnson Executive Director of NASBLA spoke to us, He talked about the great loss of Jean Timmons, who passed away earlier this month, and was a tireless worker in support of boating issues. NASBLA has been busy since he spoke to us last fall. NASBLA’s strategic plan started about 2 years ago with some big changes. They have redefined and refocused their strategy, and now have a road map of where they are, where they’re going, and where they want to be. He discussed the many, many objectives of today’s NASBLA. Much of these have to do with interfacing with and assisting the Coast Guard. They are trying to compute accident statistics for boating hours on the water, rather than just per number of registered boats. Thus, the southern states showed a skewed average of accidents which wasn’t necessarily true. A Homeland Security Grant Program for the states is being implemented. The Marine Security Grants Act of 2007 is the legislation they are working on at this time. There are no criticisms of the merit of the proposal itself; the administration of the program is the issue. There is a high turnover of BLA’s. It’s a huge task to get the new BLA’s up to speed. Nationally the Michigan State Study has shown a $250 billion dollar impact of recreational boating. John was presented with a NBF coin and a certificate of appreciation.

Donald Frasch Vice Commodore of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 spoke to us. His district covers a large land mass area, both within and outside the US. All Coast Guard Auxiliary had to go through PSI checks, and they lost many members because of this, but no capabilities. They are in "catch up mode" because of this. Their missions are recreational boating safety, maritime security, and America’s Waterway Watch. They enlist the support of the recreational boaters to look around them and report "what doesn’t look right." They have 684 vessels in their area, and have saved 15 lives in the last year. They have 1 hour rapid response capability throughout their region. They offset some of the regular CG’s missions, enabling them to have more time for other duties. They have 40 aircraft in the aux. air program, both single engine and twins. He was presented with an NBF coin and a certificate of appreciation.

Phil Arms gave his report on the International Order of the Blue Gavel. The Quagga mussel, cousin of the zebra mussel, has stripes which run perpendicular to those of the zebra mussel. This is an illustration of the Alert system, and the value to the recreational boating community. Through NBF we have the ability to impact on a national level policy decisions for boating issues. IOBG is proud that they have signed an MOU with the Power Squadron at the national level. They are working on one for the USCG Auxiliary.

Phil Arms spoke also about US Sailing. They had a sailing symposium earlier this year. This is of interest because there were many people there who did a lot of training in sailing skills at the symposium. This was an opportunity for our members to move their agenda forward in a training environment.

Margot Brown spoke about the Harbor Safety Committee activities. The 2007 International Boating and Water Safety Summit was held in San Antonio, Texas on March 4-7, 2007. It was an excellent meeting, and the most interesting portion was on measuring success. They identified many factors affecting safety on the water. One impact noticed was that the more citations issued the less fatalities occurred in that state. The more they found fire extinguishers aboard boats, the lower fatalities aboard that type of boat. The crux is the education factor seemed to be important in preventing fatal accidents. This is a good example of the symbiotic relationship between enforcement and education in reducing fatalities. Mandatory pfd wearing seems to be the one factor that would reduce fatalities perhaps 60% per year. The Harbor Safety is quite active, and Margot has been asked to chair a navigation on the great lakes panel that will meet at the National Harbor Safety Committee meeting to be held soon in Chicago, IL. The Harbor Safety Committee she sits on meets once a month and takes a very broad view of safety. They have done safety cards for paddle sports enthusiasts that are laminated so they can carry them on their vessels. Margot encourages all to volunteer to be on their local harbor safety committees. It is the one way to encourage safety for all boaters.

Captain Elisabeth A. Pepper of the USCG Sector St. Petersburg was introduced by Marlene Barrington. Captain Pepper gave a wonderful presentation about the Coast Guard Sector Organization and Sector St. Petersburg. Her sector is the first in the county to implement Rescue 21. There is now Unity of Command to better align structures. . In the past, they didn’t have a vessel traffic service. Now, they do, the primary departments are Prevention, Response, and Logistics. The Prevention Department is responsible for commercial vessel inspections and facility inspections, waterway management, and marine investigations. The response department does SAR, boardings of vessels, law enforcement boardings and pollution responses. Logistics direct the management and execution of all support activities for the Sector. Their sector of responsibility is as big as Miami’s and goes almost all the way to Mobile, AL. For 2006 they did 1245 Search and Rescues, and saved 310 lives. They were the busiest sector in the Coast Guard. A Vessel Traffic Service is like air traffic control, but on the water. It’s officially "a service implemented by a competent authority designed to enhance the safety of vessel traffic through an area." The Captain of the Port has the authority to direct all traffic under his jurisdiction. He can order vessels stay in port, leave port, stay out of port, etc. It affects every power-driven vessel of 40 meters or more in length, while navigating, whether commercial or recreational. Rescue 21 was implemented partly because their radio equipment was quite old. It was woefully in need of an upgrade, and Rescue 21 does that. It incorporates direction finding equipment, to improve locating them in the event of a problem. It gives them interoperability features, they now can receive up to 28 calls at one time, rather than a distress call possibly being "walked on." There are portable towers available to allow the restoration of communications in the event of a natural disaster. The AIS system has been a great thing for their sector. She answered many questions about Rescue 21, the AIS system, and homeland security. She was presented with a certificate of appreciation and NBF coin.

At 1315 we reconvened at the Carlouel Yacht Club pool, with an excellent demonstration by Captain Richard Moore of various pfd devices, including the standard cheap ones, to the inflatable collar type and also the belt pack type.

Michael Henderson, NOAA Regional Coordinator and Navigation Manager, spoke to the group about NOAA. This is the 200^th anniversary of NOAA, it was created by Thomas Jefferson because he knew the US was a maritime nation. 95-98% of everything you use in your household comes by ship. Hydrographic surveys, Marine Forecasts, Nautical Charts, and Wildlife preservation are the missions of NOAA. Survey vessels used to use one beam, now they use multi-beam and side scan sonar for better accuracy. All products are available online, 24/7, and they are free. It’s important that vessels are getting bigger, much faster, etc. Now the margin of error is much smaller, yet the vessels keep getting bigger. Tampa Bay is for example massive area of water that isn’t very deep. PORTS is physical oceanographic real time system. It provides information to mariners at a 6 minute update level. There are several PORTS sites along the US coastline. Harbor pilots are locked into the PORTS system due to the small margin of error in most US harbors. Depending on the particular harbor, various sensors are used. NOAA is trying to get congress to fund the maintenance of the system, but the legislation now literally says NOAA cannot do this. So, if a current meter goes out and needs replacement, the local community must pay for it. An air gap meter will tell you within 2 centimeters how much bridge height there is. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge in NY sags 5 feet during rush hour. Now, the ships are getting within inches of hitting the bridges. Cruise ships clear the skyway bridge by 3 feet in San Francisco, even though it’s 183 feet tall. Hurricanes are a priority for NOAA. Tampa Bay is the next vulnerable spot, if a Katrina type storm hits Tampa Bay it’ll make New Orleans look like nothing. Michael flew into 23 hurricanes and made 80 penetrations. It’s hard to forecast hurricanes, take a kid’s top, and predict where it’s going to go. Storm tide = surge plus tide. It’s always higher during a hurricane. Category 2, Tampa General has a 12 foot storm surge. Category 4, Tampa General has 21 feet of water. One cubic yard of water weighs 1700 lbs., almost a ton. People CANNOT ride a hurricane out. A 30 foot surge has how many tons of water? One in 30 storms is catastrophic, prepare for 30 to live through 1. Storm surge is mostly from the wind pushing the water for days. Added to the tide, it is phenomenal. The water has nowhere to go but ashore.

Langhorne Bond spoke about the preservation of Loran. The good news is that for now at least the plans to kill Loran service in the US are dead. The history of the plans to kill loran involves committees chaired by GPS inventors, etc. The committee appointed was undecided at first, but ended up unanimously voting to continue Loran. The federal register was published with a survey on whether people wanted to keep Loran. The overwhelming response was that they wanted to keep Loran functioning. Congress now is totally onboard, and will spend the money to keep it operating. Coast Guard doesn’t want it anymore, so transmitters will have to be moved, etc.

Joseph J. Carro Boating Safety Specialist, spoke about the USCG Office of Boating Safety. They do want to continue partnering with the NBF. He talked about the small vessel threat summit. The proposal for proof of proficiency was some sort of identification. Even within the CG, there was indecision about whether proof of proficiency should be demonstrated by licensing. There is no Federal Identification system right now. This was going to be low cost, low maintenance, latest on it is it has gone through most of congress, and is still a part of the Coast Guard initiative. He hopes that this goes on through. They don’t want licensing, even though the Commandant was saying that. This is all part of the small vessel summit. There is in-transit monitoring of large vessels, harbor monitoring, etc. But, there was a huge gap in small vessel threat. Originally, that was thought to be less than 300 gross tons. So, at the summit, nothing is of the table. Licensing, AIS, security zones, force against boats whether shouldering or shooting the engines, etc., has all been brought to the table. He then took comments. NBF is clear that we don’t like licensing, we want more like a diploma, which is good for life, not something that has to be renewed. Ballast water issue in California. Right now it’s in the court systems, and the court ruling stated that now recreational vessels are subject to the Clean Water Act. The eco-terrorist group that brought the lawsuit argued that recreational vessels were not entitled to the 30 year old exemption from the act. They convinced the judge they were correct. So now there is a need for amended legislation to exempt boats from the Act. There is talk of recreational boaters having to get a permit, and if they don’t get it, any citizen can sue the boater for not having the permit. Joseph states that the CG really doesn’t have a dog in this race. This covers runoff from decks, engine cooling waters, gray water discharge, and all other waters coming from a boat. Joseph received a certificate of appreciation and an NBF coin.

Earl Waesche gave a short talk on the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club. They are celebrating their 50^th Anniversary this year. They have 127 yacht clubs as members. Each state they encompass has had a number of bills they have testified on. Virginia finally passed a mandatory education bill.

Joe Orth gave a brief report on the Potomac River Yacht Club. They have had some boat fires, and are looking at the insurance policies because the insurance companies are not paying claims. Also, the brand new energy saving gasoline with Ethanol in it is ruining filters, fuel lines, and damaging vessels. An older boat with a fiberglass fuel tank is in danger with Ethanol. It will kill boating if we don’t do something about it, at least or gasoline powered boats. The Washington DC area Yacht Clubs are having "wounded warriors" days for veterans and their families, this has been a very positive thing.

Capt. Richard Moore spoke to us about law enforcement activities in Florida. They will be hosting the NASBLA conference here in Clearwater in Sept. 2008. In the early 70’s the United States had about 1500 fatalities a year. Now, things have changed quite a bit. Now we average 650-750 nationally per year. So, it has been cut in half. In Florida they investigate about 700 recreational boating accidents per year. Fatalities have now hit a plateau; in fact they are peaking again. In 2005 they had 81 fatalities in FL. 2006 had about 70 fatalities. 2007 is worrisome, because mid-April they had 25 confirmed fatalities plus 2 missing presumed dead. They are struggling with trying to turn that around. Generally fatalities are 36 and older, male, swimmers, and have plenty of time behind the wheel of a boat. They generally drown and came from a boat less than 18 feet in length. In one third of fatalities alcohol is involved. They get separated from their boats by the boat drifting away, or it’s moving slowly. In states where they phase in quickly mandatory boater education, to reach all boaters, fatalities go down and stay down. He doesn’t want to mandate life jacket wearing, but to convince people to wear them instead. Richard was given a certificate of appreciation and an NBF coin.

Capt. Sam Bean from the International Association of Marine Investigators, Inc., spoke to

us about his organization. They are trying to get some laws changed. They provide marine training to law enforcement, insurance industry personnel, and other marine professionals in helping fight marine crime. They have over 2000 members in 18 countries worldwide. They want to create a 17 character HID number for vessels. (Now we have 12 character HID’s.) It would be international in scope. Boats are being stolen in a title state, taken to a non-title state, and then registered back in a title state. Only 39 states have titles. In the US 50% of marine thefts are in May, June, July and August. Most boats stolen are trailerable boats. 60% involve vessels 20 feet or less in length. The 17 character code has been used for automobiles for many years now. All auto manufacturers now use it. Auto recovery rates are 64%, boat recovery rates are 24%. The 17 character HID would add propulsion, hull material, length, etc. He received an NBF coin and a certificate of appreciation.

President Barrington then gave her president’s report. We represent over 2 million boaters, have a display booth, Alert system, and attend numerous water safety meetings. We share info with our international boating partners. Our Legislative Director Earl Waesche represents us all with many organizations. Pres. Barrington thanks all for their endless hours of volunteer work.

Penny Orth presented the new bylaws to be approved. Moved by Ev Tucker, seconded by Margot Brown that these be accepted.. Passed unanimously.

Pres. Barrington presented the MOU with NASBLA recommended by the Execomm to be accepted. Moved by Ev Tucker that this be accepted, seconded by Earl Waesche. This was voted on and passed unanimously.

Next nominations for officers for 2008 were opened. Penny Orth presented the slate, Marlene Barrington president, Phil Arms Vice President, Earl Waesche legislative director, Secretary Tom Dogan, Treasurer Bill Heider. All have accepted their nomination. The slate of officers is approved. Note all are same but we added one new position, Bob Williams of the Pennsylvania Boating Association was added as an executive officer.

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard reminds all boaters that beginning January 1, 2007, both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are prohibited from use in both commercial and recreational watercraft. Boaters wishing to have an emergency rescue beacon aboard their vessel must have a digital 406 MHz model.

The January 1, 2007, date to stop using 121.5 MHz EPIRBs is in preparation for February 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate. Following this termination date, only the 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the International Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System which provides distress alert and location data for search and rescue operations around the world.

The regulation applies to all Class A, B, and S 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs. It does not affect 121.5/243 MHz man overboard devices which are designed to work directly with a base alerting unit only and not with the satellite system.

This change, in large part, was brought about by the unreliability of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons in an emergency situation. Data reveals that with a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on expending the limited resources of search and rescue personnel and platforms. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been reduced significantly, and, when properly registered, can usually be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, search and rescue personnel can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes the beacon owner's contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows the Coast Guard, or other rescue personnel, to respond appropriately.

In the U.S., users are required by law to directly register their beacon in the U.S. 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database at: http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Other users can register their beacon in their country's national beacon registration database or, if no national database is available, in the International Beacon Registration Database at https://www.406registration.com/.

The United States Coast Guard is the lead agency for coordinating national maritime search and rescue policy and is responsible for providing search and rescue services on, under and over assigned international waters and waters subject to United States jurisdiction.

There is a federal mandate for producers to use a certain amount of ethanol and no apparent economical way to keep it out of marinas.. Due to the corrosive nature and affinity for water, ethanol is added at the tank truck just before delivery and the same truck that goes to the corner gas station also goes to the marina.

First is a safety issue for those boats equipped with fiberglass gas tanks, generally those made before the mid-80’s. Ethanol tends to dissolve certain resins, which then find their way through the engine intake and coat intake valves, which makes them stick causing bent pushrods or worse. More important is the possibility of a gas tank degrading to the point of leaking. As anyone knows, gas is the bilge is an explosion waiting to happen. In addition to boats such as Hatterases, Betrams, and Chris Crafts made before the mid-80’s, some smaller boats, notably Boston Whaler Montauks, have small above-deck fiberglass gas tanks. Some of these tanks have been reported leaking as well. Any boat with a fiberglass gas tank that was not specifically designed for ethanol should be suspect. There are some resins that are immune to ethanol (some vinyl esters, for example) and are used in underground gasoline storage tanks, but most resins, including common epoxies are not able to withstand contact with ethanol. Though it’s no comfort to those with fiberglass gas tanks, fortunately, only a very small percentage of boats have them.

Second is the addition of alcohol to gasoline adversely affects the volatility of the fuel, which could cause vapor lock.

Third is ethanol can also affect many plastics and rubber. Alcohol present in automobile gasoline is not compatible with the rubber seals and materials used in boats, however, most fuel hoses made after 1984 and marked with SAE J1527 are designed to withstand ethanol. Some older fuel filter bowls made of plastic may be affected and some seals, o-rings, or plastic parts could be damaged.

Fourth is phase separation, which happens when the fuel is cooled as a result of the vessel operating in winter weather. When the alcohol separates from the gasoline, it may carry water that has been held in solution and that cannot be handled by the sediment bowl." This may affect performance and drivability. Ethanol absorbs water readily and as little as .5% water will cause a phase separation. A water/ethanol mixture, being heavier than gas, will sink to the bottom of the gas tank, leaving a lower octane gas on top. This low octane gas can cause performance issues with 4-stroke engines, but can cause damage with 2-strokes due to a lean condition. In addition, 2-stroke engines can be damaged if a quantity of water/ethanol is ingested since the proper lubricating oil won’t be present. Keeping water out of the tank is obviously important.

Fifth and another problem with the introduction of ethanol comes from mixing gas with MTBE and gas with ethanol, especially in the presence of water. This chemical soup is believed by some manufacturers to create a gel-like substance that clogs passages in carburetors, most notably in outboards. Stalled engines and shop bills are the result. Fuel injected engines seem to suffer much less than carbureted ones.

When ethanol is first introduced, you may experience more frequent fuel filter replacement as ethanol’s superior solvent properties cleans old varnish and other stuff from the tank. Gas with ethanol also typically delivers slightly less fuel economy.

WHAT CAN YOU DO
For those with affected fiberglass fuel tanks, the only sure cure is replacement, usually with aluminum. Ethanol itself does not appear to affect aluminum, except when mixed with water, where it may contribute to internal corrosion. Polypropylene gas tanks are unaffected by ethanol, according to manufacturers. Those with fiberglass gas tanks are urged to install a vapor detector in the engine space (a good idea anyway) until replacement can be carried out. And checking for the black substance under the carburetor or in the intake manifold will alert you to the fact that intake valves are also being coated.

Keeping water out of your gas tank is important! Keep your tank filled if you are in an area with large daily temperature swings to prevent condensation, but remember that gas with ethanol has a shorter shelf life - use it up. Boats that are going to sit for long periods should store the tanks empty if possible. Note that gas drying additives are typically simply ethanol and won’t help. The installation of a water separator in the fuel line can help with small amounts of water. Outboard manufacturers also recommend adding an injector cleaner to the fuel.

Keep some extra fuel filters on hand, especially during the first season.

Most marinas are not required to post ethanol content on fuel pumps. Hopefully, marinas will be extra careful to avoid water contamination of storage tanks. If the lessons of Long Island Sound, where ethanol was introduced a couple of years ago hold true, problems will begin during the changeover and should lessen as the season progresses.

NEW JERSEY’S DEP COMMISSIONER – Lisa Jackson

In her first public speaking engagement since being nominated to the post of Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Lisa Jackson outlined the major initiatives her administration intends to tackle in the year ahead. Ms. Jackson stressed that she expected a period of increased environmentalism under the new Governor Jon Corzine. Ms. Jackson indicated the following are the issues that will be some of the priorities of the new administration and the NJDEP staff considered the issued listed below as very important to the administration. Ms. Jackson cautioned that a full agenda had not yet been formulated:

· Environmental Justice

· Tough mandatory safety standards for chemical plants

· Air quality -- including implementation of the new diesel statute and regulations, as well as the California car regulations

· Drinking water resources -- look for more Category 1 designations, controlled growth around riparian corridors and minimizing impacts from non-point pollution

· Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act implementation

· CO2 Model Rule (draft due out in March) and continued progress on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

· Energy efficiency and renewable - 'greening' older residential structures and investing in the Clean Energy Fund

· NRD - a fresh look is warranted for the Passaic River Initiative and industry is owed a rule that is long overdue

· Site remediation -- the Brownfield and Land Use Programs must work together

· TMDLs -- implementation is as important as setting the standards

· Wildlife criteria should be part of the surface water quality standards

Ms. Jackson is the first Commissioner, who has worked in various levels of Federal and State employment. At this new level she will have to make certain political decisions and balance environmental consciousness on hot topic issues.

Senate Republican leader, Leonard Lance, from Flemington, announced that the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services, (OLS), is drafting a Senate Resolution, at his request urging the incoming Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, (DEP), to reconsider accepting the donation of Petty’s island from the Citgo corporation. Why would a Senator from Flemington be interested in the Delaware River? It must be a test for the new Commissioner.

The incoming Commissioner is deep in politics after only her first breath. Lance states that the island should have a $ 2 million trust to fund for greater public access to a 400-acre island. An island located in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas in the world that is prime for development within the community. Now a hotel marina on an island might be a novel idea. He went on to say that the island currently is home to a wide variety of wildlife including blue herons and a pair of Bald Eagles. Well hello Senator, so is the shoreline of Camden and Pennsauken. Should we make these areas wild too? The birds have been living here for generations. The like it the way it is now.

The area behind the Island and Camden/Pennsauken is the Back Channel. Currently, it is the only navigatable area on the river protected from the main stem channel traffic. With the grand redevelopment of Camden and the Pennsauken Harbor, this entire area is ready for tourism dollars with the design of a Recreational Maritime zone. It would provide the access to the water for the public as well entices boaters to travel the extra 40 miles from the inner-coastal waterway C&D canal to the Camden area. The Boater Voter Coalition believes that the area of Petty’s Island, Camden’s Cramer Hill and the harbor area of Pennsauken be developed as the only recreational maritime resource on the Delaware River.

As you might have seen on the recent NBF E-Lert, the President's Tax Advisory panel has recommended changes to the Federal tax code that would eliminate the mortgage interest deduction for second residences, including boats.

This deduction is now allowed for mortgages on boats that qualify as second homes, i.e. they contain sleeping, toilet and cooking facilities. The loss of this deduction would affect boat purchases by middle-class Americans and contribute to unemployment in the boat industry. NBF has partnered with the NMMA and others in opposition to this change.