News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 2, 2004

Chickasaw National Recreation Area Re-Opens to Personal Watercraft
Environmental Assessment Concludes PWC Present “No Significant Impact;”
PWC Welcomed Back Effective Immediately

Contact:
Elinore Boeke, 202-721-1621
Brian Berry, 202-777-3524

Washington, DC—–Oklahoma boaters can again enjoy their freedom of recreational choice as Chickasaw National Recreation Area welcomes personal watercraft back to the Lake of the Arbuckles in time for Labor Day Weekend. The ruling was published today in the Federal Register, and is effective immediately.

Nearly three years after the National Park Service was required by a court settlement to restrict personal watercraft (PWC) pending the results of scientific studies regarding the vessels’ impact, Chickasaw has completed the required environmental assessments and concluded that PWC present “no significant impact,” and are an appropriate boating activity for the National Recreation Area. Of four proposed rules, the park’s preferred alternative welcomes PWC use with reasonable regulations, such as no-use zones within 150 feet of specific picnic areas. A National Park Service (NPS) press release that outlines the full ruling is available online at http://www.nps.gov/chic/pphtml/newsdetail14212.html.

Six additional National Park Service (NPS) units already welcome personal watercraft, seven other units are in the final stages of the rulemaking process to reallow the vessels, and scientific analyses on the effects of personal watercraft are currently underway at two National Seashores.

"Today another national park that has put personal watercraft to the test has reaffirmed that these boats are among the cleanest and quietest on the water,” said Jeff Ludwig, Regulatory Affairs Manager at the Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA). “The ban in 2000 was unreasonable because scientific studies consistently show that modern PWC have no unique impact that justifies singling them out for discriminatory bans."

Often referred to by their trade names—JET SKI®, WaveRunner® Sea-Doo® and AquaTrax®, personal watercraft were banned from most National Recreation Areas, Lakeshores and Seashores in 2002 as a result of a 2000 lawsuit between an anti-boating group and the National Park Service. Each unit that seeks to reopen to PWC is required to complete a comprehensive scientific study of PWC impact on the local environment and economy and prepare a rule allowing continued PWC use. Chickasaw has completed this process and has determined that PWC have no unique impact on its waterways.

“In every instance – 14 to date - where an environmental assessment has measured the impact of PWC on a body of water where motorized boating is permitted, PWC have been welcomed back,” said Ludwig. “It’s becoming clearer each day that the national parks were forced to prohibit PWC use in the first place because of frivolous accusations made by an extreme anti-boating group,” he continued. “This anti-boating group is responsible for costing the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars because it has single handedly forced the National Park Service to conduct these assessments in order to review the ban.”

Modern PWC have always been compliant with federal and state emissions requirements, and many models are ahead of schedule, meeting the EPA's 2006 standards several years early. As a result of an industry-wide commitment to update engine technology since 1998, manufacturers have been producing PWC that are 75 percent cleaner and 70 percent quieter than previous models. New models can seat up to four passengers and tow a water skier or wake board. PWC have evolved into an environmentally friendly boating choice for families who wish to enjoy the water together, and have found personal watercraft to be affordable, approachable, and easy to store, transport, and maintain.

Did you know?
• The typical PWC buyer is around age 40 with a family
• Nearly 75% of all PWC sold in the U.S. in 2002 were 3-passenger vessels *
• Over half of all PWC sold in the U.S. in 2002 had new-technology engines such as 4-stroke and direct-injection *
• Twenty million Americans enjoy personal watercraft each year, according to a government survey +
• U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that 99 percent of PWC are operated accident-free
• Manufacturers have loaned more than 13,000 PWC to law enforcement, rescue, and research organizations for use in on-water patrols, search and rescue operations, and marine mammal research

As the trade association representing personal watercraft manufacturers in the U.S., PWIA actively advocates for states to adopt reasonable regulations such as mandatory boating safety education for all PWC users, a minimum age of 16 to operate PWC, and daylight-only usage restrictions. PWIA’s mission is to ensure that personal watercraft and personal watercraft users are treated fairly when local, state, and federal government officials consider boating regulations. More information on PWIA is available at www.pwia.org.

The following chart details national recreation areas, seashores, and lakeshores and their stage in the PWC review process. The National Park Service welcomes comments from the public.

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* Source: Ehlert PowerSports Business, Market Data Book 2002
+ Source: National Survey on Recreation and the Environment 2000, U.S. Forest Service