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H.R. 5949: Clean Boating Act of 2008

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H.R. 5949: Clean Boating Act of 2008

110th Congress · introduced 2008-05-01 · Environmental Protection · Latest: For Further Action See P.L. 110-288 (S. 2766).

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2008-05-01 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-14] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: For Further Action See P.L. 110-288 (S. 2766). Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Clean Boating Act of 2008

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Clean Boating Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to provide that no permit shall be required by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for the discharge from a recreational vessel of graywater, bilge water, cooling water, weather deck runoff, oil water separator effluent, or effluent from properly functioning marine engines or for any other discharge that is incidental to the normal operation of such vessel. Defines a "recreational vessel" as any vessel that is leased, rented, or chartered to a person for that person's pleasure or that is manufactured or used primarily for pleasure, excluding vessels that are subject to Coast Guard inspection and that are engaged in commercial use or that carry paying passengers. Requires the Administrator to: (1) determine the discharges that are incidental to the normal operation (excluding sewage) of a recreational vessel for which it is reasonable and practicable to develop management practices to mitigate adverse impacts on U.S. waters within a year of this Act's enactment and to review such determinations every five years; and (2) develop management practices for recreational vessels to mitigate the adverse impacts of such discharges on U.S. waters. Directs the Administrator, in determining what discharges are incidental to normal operations, to consider: (1) the nature of the discharge; (2) its environmental effects; (3) the practicability of using a management practice; (4) the effect that such practice would have on the operation, operational capability, or safety of the vessel; (5) applicable federal and state law and international standards; and (6) the economic costs of the use of the management practice. Requires the Administrator to: (1) promulgate federal standards of performance (which may distinguish among vessel types) for each discharge for which such a management practice is developed; and (2) review them every five years. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations governing the design, construction, installation, and use of management practices for recreational vessels as necessary to meet such standards. Prohibits a recreational vessel from operating in or discharging in U.S. waters if such owner or operator is not using applicable management practices in compliance with such regulations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House without amendment), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Clean Boating Act of 2008

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House without amendment)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-14] · 28 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5949, Clean Boating Act of 2008 (2008-06-03); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5949, Clean Boating Act of 2008 (2008-06-03)

Cosponsors on this site

John R. Carter (R-TX), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Harold Rogers (R-KY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong110-hr5949 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110