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News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2002
Park Service Moving Quickly to Complete Procedures to Allow Personal Watercraft
Use in 16 National Parks
Personal Watercraft Q&A Contact:
Elinore Boeke, 202-721-1621
Brian Berry, 202-777-3524
Washington, DC—Sixteen national seashores and recreation
areas are moving forward with rulemaking procedures to allow
personal watercraft. Although temporary bans on these motorboats
were implemented in some of the parks this week, these bans
do not mean that personal watercraft will be prohibited in
the future, only that environmental studies must be completed
before regulations allowing the vessels’ use are promulgated.
“In discussions with top officials at the Park Service, we
have been assured of a renewed vigor on the part of park superintendents
to expedite the procedures necessary to allow personal watercraft
use in these parks,” said Monita Fontaine, executive director
of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association. “We look
forward to the studies’ conclusions, which we are confident
will support what we’ve been saying all along: that modern
personal watercraft are one of the most environmentally friendly
motorboats on the water today, and there is no scientific
basis to single these vessels out for discrimination."
In an April 16, 2002 press release, the National Park Service
(NPS) stated that “16 sites will proceed with special regulations
as required by the national PWC rule (36 CFR 3.24), finalized
in April 2000, which will include conducting environmental
assessments or environmental impact statements under the requirements
of the National Environmental Policy Act, preparing an economic
analysis, and seeking public comment throughout the entire
process.”
Said Fontaine, “It is a shame that NPS was forced by an
anti-boating special interest group to temporarily lock out
hundreds of thousands of Americans from boating on the waters
of our beloved national seashores and recreation areas, simply
because they chose a hull type that is the most economical
multi-purpose motorboat available for their families.”
The national parks that are moving forward with the process
to allow personal watercraft are:
- Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
- Assateague Island National Seashore (MD/VA)
- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (MT/WY)
- Big Thicket National Preserve (TX)
- Chickasaw National Recreation Area (OK)
- Curecanti National Recreation Area (CO)
- Fire Island National Seashore (NY)
- Gateway National Recreation Area (NJ/NY)
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ/UT)
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ/NV)
- Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (TX)
- Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA)
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (MI)
- Cape Lookout National Seashore (NC)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL/MS)
- Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
Personal Watercraft Q&A
The Personal Watercraft Industry Association supports the
use of objective, unbiased, scientific studies on the effects
of personal watercraft (PWC), and offers these basic facts.
What is a PWC?
The official definition of a personal watercraft varies
from state to state, but they are generally recognized as
a vessel which uses an inboard motor powering a water jet
pump as its primary source of motive power, and which is
designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or
kneeling on the vessel, rather than the conventional manner
of sitting or standing inside the vessel. PWCs are manufactured
by Bombardier, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, and Yamaha under
trade names that include JET SKI, WaveRunner, and Sea-Doo.
Who rides personal watercraft?
PWC and PWC enthusiasts have come a long way from the stereo-typical
images formed in the early days of the sport. Ninety-nine
percent of all personal watercraft sold today are multi-passenger
vessels, with three- and four-seat models the fastest-growing
segment of the industry. These are family vessels, purchased
by families who want to spend a day together on the water,
and have found PWC to be affordable, approachable, and easy
to store, transport, and maintain.
How many PWC are there?
The National Marine Manufacturers Association reports that
83,000 PWC were sold in the U.S. in 2001, with an average
price of $7929. This is
a significant decrease from the peak of PWC sales in 1995,
when 200,000 were sold. NMMA estimates that in 2001, there
were 1,053,560 PWC owned in the U.S.
How many people ride PWC?
The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment 2000
reports that 20 million Americans enjoy PWC each year, the
same number as enjoy canoeing. NSRE 2000 is the most recent
of the National Recreation Survey series begun nationally
in 1960, and is coordinated by the USDA Forest Service.
What about PWC emissions?
Some anti-access groups cite a study that compared an
unregulated old-technology PWC with a regulated 1998 model
car, which is apples to oranges. The fact is, with the
introduction of "new-technology" engine improvements
such as catalysts, direct injection, and four-strokes, PWC
manufacturers have achieved a 75 percent reduction in hydrocarbon
and NOx emissions in a matter of years, as opposed
to the decades it took the automobile industry to achieve
the same reductions. Personal watercraft have always complied
with EPA standards, and current PWC models already meet
EPA’s 2006 marine engine standards. Modern PWC are among
the most environmentally friendly motorboats on the water
today.
Lake Tahoe—which has the strictest environmental requirements
in the country—welcomes the use of at least 27 models of direct-injection,
and 4-stroke personal watercraft because they are uniquely
environmentally friendly.
How is the safety record of PWCs? According to U.S.
Coast Guard figures, more than 99 percent of PWCs are enjoyed
accident-free every year. PWIA actively advocates for states
to set a minimum age of 16 to operate a PWC (18 to rent),
mandatory education for all PWC users, and other regulations.
Makers of personal watercraft also support strict enforcement
of navigation and safety laws. PWIA works actively with the
U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Safe Boating
Council and the National Association of State Boating Law
Administrators on a variety of education and safety initiatives
throughout the country.
Thanks to these cooperative efforts, the rate of accidents
involving personal watercraft has declined across the country
while the number of personal watercraft as well as hours of
usage have vastly increased; this despite the fact that PWC
accidents are probably reported much more often than other
boat accidents, due to a number of factors such as insurance
reporting requirements of PWC rental operators. Such variables
make it impossible to estimate the risk of boating-related
injuries among different boat types. The data are just not
there.
How noisy are personal watercraft?
PWC have always complied with every state and federal sound
regulation. Thanks to industry investments in hull insulation
and other technologies, today’s PWC are up to 70 percent quieter
than 1998 models, and manufacturers are working to bring their
customers even quieter vessels in the future.
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