We’ve filed our comments to NOAA (the deadline was October 31), but this campaign is far from over. Please continue to help us oppose the looming 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard being proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “It’ll take NOAA a minimum of two months to review the comments—use this time to inform your elected officials about the devastating impact the proposed rule would have on the boating and fishing community,” says Viking Director of Governmental Affairs and Sustainability John DePersenaire, shown above speaking at the Viking press conference on the issue at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “We must make a strong political pivot and take our message to our elected officials.”
Please contact your member of Congress. But also reach out to elected officials on all government levels, including mayors, state legislators and governors by clicking here. “The message to elected officials is simple: weigh in on behalf of America’s boaters and anglers,” says John. “Let them know that the 10-knot restriction will have a crushing economic, safety and social impact on our sport. It’s their duty as our elected representatives to convey this message to the highest levels of state and federal government.”
The boating and fishing community stood united at the press conference, raising awareness through the media and urging the public to file comments to NOAA until the very last minute. And our efforts are paying off. “NOAA is acknowledging that our industry’s comments have been helpful in allowing them to see there are issues they had not fully addressed during the development of the rule and that additional analysis is needed,” says John. “What the industry has done so far is unquestionably having a positive impact. We want people to realize that this political action—this weighing-in to the regulators, the decision-makers and the elected officials—is absolutely having an effect. But we must keep the pressure on.”
The federal rule would broaden the current 10-knot (11.5 mph) speed limit to include boats 35 feet and larger (down from 65 feet); expand the zones from discrete areas to virtually the entire East Coast (from Massachusetts to Florida) as far out as 100 miles; and extend the go-slow mandate for up to seven months a year.
Viking and other New Jersey boatbuilders, as well as the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, last week submitted a joint letter to Governor Phil Murphy. Click here to read the letter. Viking will also continue to raise awareness through the marine and mainstream media. For an in-depth analysis, click here to listen to a Power & Motoryacht podcast with DePersenaire.
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