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Personal Watercraft and the Government

© Karen K. Patton

I have received many e-mails recently pertaining to the potential ban of personal watercrafts on more and more waterways. You have cause for concern. PWCs are a huge target right now. Not only are PWCs being banned from some of our National Parks by the National Park Service, but local governmental agencies are banning them from our local waterways.

On March 21st of this year, the United States National Park Service (NPS) issued a rule barring PWCs from most National Parks. The final rule prohibits PWC use in national park areas unless the NPS determines that PWC use is appropriate for a specific park based on certain criteria such as local legislation, a park's resources, other visitor uses in the park, and overall management objectives. A Press Release was issued on March 27, 2000 announcing that the rule for managing PWCs in the National Park System would go into effect on April 20, 2000. You can download a copy of the final rule on the NPS website by selecting Personal Watercraft Use Within the NPS System.

On July 20, 2000, Representative James Hansen, Chairman of the National Parks and Lands Subcommittee, held a hearing on the NPS ruling. The United States Congress examined the new restrictions on public access in National Parks and took issue with the NPS rulemaking process. A Press Release was issued on July 20th by the Committee on Resources summarizing the hearings.

There are a couple of magazines devoted to PWCs which report the latest news regarding PWC legislation. The IJSBA magazine Jet Sports is a great resource with all the latest legislative news covered in each issue and listed by state. You can also check out the IJSBA on-line at their new IJSBA website . Watercraft World is also another excellent PWC publication which follows the latest news regarding PWC legislation. You can check out Watercraft World at Watercraftnews.com, a new site with comprehensive PWC information and interesting articles. They also feature a Message Board where enthusiasts can discuss PWC related topics, including current legislative issues.

On the Internet there are several good websites which post the most recent information with regard to PWC legislation. A great source for the latest legislative news is the PWC Zone which has state by state resources. Personal Watercraft Illustrated also has a Government Affairs Section which discusses the latest legislative issues pertaining to PWC use. Splooge's Corner, maintained by Ted Bristol, also has a site dedicated to government updates and is listed by state.

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