News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2005

Vermont Rule Discriminates Against Thousands of Boating Families

New Anti-Personal Watercraft Law Denies Public Access to Lake Willoughby

Contact:
Brian Berry, 202-777-3524
Elinore Boeke, 202-737-9768

Washington, DC— An approved rule change by the Vermont Water Resources Board (WRB) discriminates against an entire segment of boating families by imposing a personal watercraft (PWC) ban on all 1,700 acres of Lake Willoughby in the Town of Westmore.

The rule change comes after a local resident encouraged the Board to rewrite its original rule that if left as written, would have banned all boats less than 16-feet in length that operate by a water propulsion system rather than an exposed propeller. When this issue was presented to the Board, it quickly modified the language of the rule to specifically target personal watercraft and the families who own and ride them.

“This is blatant discrimination,” stated Chris Gullott of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA). “The process that led to this revised rule has exposed the bias of certain members of the Water Resources Board who want to ban personal watercraft by any means possible. This regulation shows no regard for the rights of the Vermont families who own a personal watercraft or for the facts that show how these vessels are among the most environmentally friendly motorized boats on the water,” he continued.

The Water Resources Board justifies its decision by noting that PWC do not fit its 1992 definition of so-called “normal” uses for Lake Willoughby, despite the fact that personal watercraft were relatively new vessels in the early 1990s, and therefore understandably left off this list at that time. Today, there are more than 1.4 million registered personal watercraft in the United States.

Manufacturers have completely redesigned and updated PWC technology and in 1998 they released what PWIA now refers to as “modern technology.” These modern PWC are cleaner and quieter, most can comfortably seat three passengers, have ample storage space for towels and gear, and can tow a water-skier. Sales information indicates that families are turning to personal watercraft as a portable and affordable alternative to larger, costlier powerboats. New technologies that feature four-stroke engines and fuel-injected two-stroke engines have resulted in a 75 percent reduction in emissions. State-of-the-art designs have also reduced operational sound by 70 percent. Every PWC sold today complies with all state and federal sound and emissions regulation.

“The reasons cited by the Water Resources Board for a ban are baseless and have been factually dispelled,” said Gullott. “First, personal watercraft technology stands up to scrutiny. Simply put, there is no technological reason to ban personal watercraft. Second, if there are user behavior concerns on Lake Willoughby , then user behavior solutions should be the Board’s focus, not a wholesale ban on an entire class of responsible Vermont boaters. A ban is not a solution; it’s a poor excuse for public policy,” he concluded.

Vermont already has reasonable statewide personal watercraft operation laws on the books that PWIA supports. These include mandatory use of life jackets, sunset curfews, minimum age limits, and mandatory boating safety education. These, among other guidelines, are tenets of PWIA’s model legislation, which it proactively encourages state lawmakers around the country to adopt.

PWIA also supports strict enforcement of boating and navigation rules. If rules are broken, citations should be issued. Repeat offenders should have their boating privileges suspended. To further their commitment to boating safety and law enforcement, manufacturers created the “Personal Watercraft Loan Program” in 1989, which has since loaned approximately 15,000 vessels to law enforcement, fire and rescue, and marine mammal research organizations across the United States . “PWIA would be pleased to work with local officials to equip Lake Willoughby with an on-water PWC patrol vessel,” said Gullott.

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, there were more than 33,000 registered recreational vessels in Vermont in 2003, including personal watercraft. Sales statistics for the past two years show that the three-passenger models of PWC account for more than 75 percent of total annual sales, which indicates that families are purchasing these vessels.

“We’re not asking for special treatment,” stated Gullott, “we’re just asking for families who enjoy personal watercraft to be treated the same as other boaters.”