News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 7, 2002

House Parks Subcommittee Votes to Extend Park Service Deadline for Personal
Watercraft Regulation

WASHINGTON, DC—The National Parks, Recreation & Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Resources Committee today approved language in HR 3853 to extend the deadline for 21 National Parks to complete court-ordered environmental assessments on the use of personal watercraft in each park. The additional two years are necessary to ensure fair and accurate environmental studies.

The National Park Service drafted the legislation at the request of Congress, after concerned constituents alerted members to a lack of sufficient time to complete the assessments before an automatic ban set in.

"Due to recent circumstances beyond the Department of Interior’s control, including the change in Administration, reprogramming of the department’s funding allocation, and events following September 11, this extension was necessary to guarantee compliance with the court settlement," said Monita Fontaine, Executive Director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association.

"It is important that these environmental assessments be accurate, science-based studies," she continued. "We are confident that unbiased studies will recognize the innovative technologies that the personal watercraft industry has created in order to produce safe, quiet and environmentally-friendly family boats."

An April 2001 out-of-court lawsuit settlement between the National Park Service and an anti-boating group calls for 21 parks that allow motorized boating to undertake environmental assessments on the use of personal watercraft. Park superintendents are required to consider the results of these park-specific scientific studies along with public input in determining whether to implement a special regulation allowing continued personal watercraft use.

Without the extension of time agreed to today by the Parks subcommittee, personal watercraft use would automatically be banned in 13 parks in April 2002, and in 8 more in September 2002, without proper scientific review.

"PWIA is not opposed to reasonable regulation of watercraft," Fontaine added. "But where motorized boating is permitted, it is discriminatory to single out one type of boat for banning. It is imperative that these 21 National Parks take the time to learn about our industry’s technological, environmental and safety achievements before unfairly limiting the recreation choices of 19 million Americans who enjoy personal watercraft on our nation’s public waterways."

Makers of personal watercraft support reasonable regulations, strict enforcement of navigation and safety laws, and mandatory boating education. Criticism of personal watercraft focuses on stale data, ignoring recent technological advances and initiatives to promote safe and responsible use of these vessels.

A summer 2001 independent survey by the Leisure Trends Group showed that a majority of Americans believe personal watercraft use should be permitted in the National Parks.

Personal watercraft are affordable family boats with clean, quiet, fuel-efficient engines and no exposed propellers. Since 1998, the marine industry has invested in technological advances that have led to a 75 percent reduction in hydrocarbon and NOx emissions, and a 70 percent reduction in sound. New direct-injection systems in two-stroke personal watercraft engines are vastly cleaner than older, conventional two-stroke marine engines. The industry continues to innovate, and this summer, both Yamaha and Bombardier unveiled four-stroke engine technology in 2002 models of personal watercraft.