NEWS

August 30, 2004

Assessment requested

By Ken Stead

Recent news reports and commentary make it abundantly clear that the debate over personal watercraft use at Biscayne National Park will be a contentious one.

A coalition of South Florida marine business owners, boat owners, manufacturers and others is asking for an environmental assessment, which is required by the National Park Service. Such an assessment was never conducted to enact the ban in the first place.

Most of the park is enjoyed by boat, which should come as no surprise, since 95 percent of it is covered by water. More than just pleasure boats, but cigarette boats and, on occasion, commercial shipping vessels and oil tankers travel through the park. Yet since 1998, personal watercraft have been targeted. Even before the 1998 suit against the National Park Service and the systemwide PWC ban, the managers of Biscayne National Park were already working on a ban of their own. The federal rule in 2000 conveniently provided the cover to blame Washington, D.C., bureaucrats for causing this problem.

But Washington bureaucrats aren't the problem. Bias about these boats and about those who ride them is the problem. The Florida Legislature passed a PWC anti-discrimination law in 2000, but it does not apply to state waters managed by National Park Service.

The only equitable resolution to this debate is for the park superintendent to begin an environmental assessment of personal watercraft.

Most PWC sold today are already compliant with the EPA's 2006 emissions standards and are actually one of the most environmentally friendly motorboats on

the water today. Technological advancements since 1998 have resulted in a 75 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions and a 70 percent reduction of sound.

We realize that some areas might not be appropriate for recreational boating. It is unfair, however, to single out and prohibit one class of boaters. For instance, if there are areas where motorized boating is determined inappropriate, such as a critical habitat area, a no-boating zone would be more reasonable than an outright ban on all 183,000 acres of the park.

For a park like Biscayne where officials worry about boats damaging seagrass beds, a personal watercraft should be praised instead of criticized. PWC have no exposed propellers because they operate by water propulsion. In addition, research concludes that PWC don't flush birds any more, and sometimes less, than other types of boats.

The personal watercraft ban at Biscayne National Park began six years ago; today, manufacturers and dealers boast remarkable technology improvements that have made PWC cleaner and quieter. Out of fairness to the more than 17,000 Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe county families who own personal watercraft, the ban should be re-evaluated. The park belongs to everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone.