IF YOU TRAILER to LAKE CHAMPLAIN, READ THIS

[popster]

IF YOU TRAILER to LAKE CHAMPLAIN, READ THIS

As posted by PerchSlayerVT recently ("New Boat Ramp Laws"), the Senate Committee on Natural Resources recently passed the S.75 Bill concerning Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention by a huge margin. The bill then went to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife for consideration. They, too, passed the bill by a huge margin last Thursday; however, adding several key amendments to the bill.

The House's amendments included striking the old Part (c) in its entirety (the section that contained the mandatory inspection and decontamination requirements), and replacing it with more reasonable language that puts the responsibility of keeping boats “Clean, Drained and Dried” on the boaters, rather than in the hands of volunteer Lake Association inspectors and greeters with no enforcement authority.

History and Status of S.75 Bill
http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2018/S.75

Because the Senate’s version of S.75 and the House’s version of S.75 are now different, the bill must now go to the Senate-House Conference Committee for another round of debate and votes. This may happen this week.

Without doubt, the Senate will push hard to re-instate their version of Part (c) requiring MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS AND DECONTAMINATIONS BEFORE LAUNCHING AND UPON RETRIEVAL, which makes Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention more authoritative and confrontational, rather than educational.
THINK LAKE GEORGE, with Gated Accesses.

With the proper information and education, all boaters and anglers will and should be responsible for Cleaning, Draining, and Drying their own boats and trailers and take personal responsibility for reducing the risk of spreading invasive species.

We do not need Lake Association volunteers (students and retirees) climbing into our boats to inspect and decontaminate it with high pressure washers. This is our own personal property, and no one can climb aboard it and open and inspect it unless they are trained law enforcement officers with probable cause to do so.

Mandatory inspections are unnecessary and unacceptable. The House’s version is a reasonable compromise that still provides protection from spreading aquatic invasive species, without unnecessary infringement on our boating and angling rights to access public waters.

S.75, as written, has the potential to have a disastrous effect on boaters and anglers who trailer to Lake Champlain accesses. Education, NOT enforcement.

At this point, members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife and your own state representatives need to be contacted IMMEDIATELY and urged to stay firm on their version of S.75 in the face of strong Senate opposition this coming week.

Please use the email Distribution List below, provided by PerchSlayerVT. Copy and paste all email addresses below into the TO: box in your email program to send an email all at once to all members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife:

ddeen@leg.state.vt.us; strictlytrout@vermontel.net; msullivan@leg.state.vt.us; sbeyor@leg.state.vt.us; stevecbeyor@gmail.com; dainsworth@leg.state.vt.us; plefebvre@leg.state.vt.us; jim_mccullough@myfairpoint.net; COde@leg.state.vt.us; TSquirrell@leg.state.vt.us; tterenzini@leg.state.vt.us; thomas.terenzini@yahoo.com


Here is the individual contact information for each member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, in case you want to call them directly and leave messages on S. 75.

David Deen – D, (802) 869-3116
Chair of House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife
ddeen@leg.state.vt.us
strictlytrout@vermontel.net

Mary Sullivan – D, (802) 862-6632
Vice Chair of House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife
msullivan@leg.state.vt.us

Steve Beyor – R, (802) 868-3456
Ranking Member, House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife
sbeyor@leg.state.vt.us
stevecbeyor@gmail.com

David Ainsworth – R, (802) 763-8017
Home Phone – (802) 467-8338
Work Phone – (802) 525-3531
dainsworth@leg.state.vt.us

Paul Lefebvre – R
Home Phone – (802) 467-8338
Work Phone – (802) 525-3531
plefebvre@leg.state.vt.us

James McCullough – D
Home Phone – (802) 878-2180
Work Phone – (802) 879-6001
jim_mccullough@myfairpoint.net

Carol Ode – D
Home Phone – (802) 863-3818
COde@leg.state.vt.us

Trevor Squirrell – D
Home Phone – (802) 899-2382
Work Phone – (802) 244-6850
TSquirrell@leg.state.vt.us

Thomas Terenzini – R
Home Phone – (802) 855-1945
tterenzini@leg.state.vt.us
thomas.terenzini@yahoo.com

[BottomDollar]

Thanks for the clarification on this bill's status.

I know that at the federal level, phone calls carry a lot more weight than emails. It's likely that this is also true for state level reps. I'm calling my house and senate representatives today to ask that they support the house's amended bill.

You can find your representatives here: http://legislature.vermont.gov/people/all/2016/Senate

EDIT: this should be in addition to an email at the link Popster provided.

The text of the email I sent to the group of legislators. I did paraphrase a lot of the copy from the original post here, thanks:

Good morning. I'm writing today to express my concern regarding Senate bill S.75, a bill intended to control aquatic nuisance species in Vermont. I am aware that the House passed an amended bill, and I would like to take this opportunity to advocate for that version.

With the right information and education, all boaters on Vermont waterways can and should be responsible for cleaning, draining, and drying their own boats and trailers. Education is the key to promoting personal responsibility with regard to reducing the risk of spreading invasive aquatic species.

We do not need Lake Association volunteers gaining access to our private property for the purpose of inspection and/or decontamination. We should restrict that suspension of personal property rights to law enforcement personnel with relevant training and probable cause.

Mandatory inspections are unnecessary and unacceptable. The House's version is a reasonable compromise that still provides protection from spreading invasive species without unnecessary infringement on our boating and angling rights to access public waters.

S75, as written and passed by the Senate, has the potential to have a disastrous effect on boaters and anglers who trailer to Lake Champlain accesses. Education, not enforcement, is a way forward that preserves our right to access public water, and one that I hope the Vermont legislature can pass in the coming days.

Thank you for your time.

Andrew Saver
Burlington, VT

[digitroll (ron)]

Thanks Bill. Will follow-up with your suggestions.

[Ancient Mariner]

Done Thanks for your information on this topic.

[BottomDollar]

My response from Rep. Mary Sullivan (Chittenden). She was a supporter of the amended House version:

"Andrew, I was a supporter of the version that came out of my committee. There will not be mandatory inspections by greeters but we certainly hope that the law will be clear enough to voters and they must take care of their own boats so invasive species do not spread from lake to lake.
-mary Sullivan "

[PerchSlayerVT]

BottomDollar - I don't know what to tell you other than your state rep either lied to you or doesn't understand the bill herself. Check this out .....

I just looked at the current status of S.75 on the Vermont legislature website:

http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2018/S.75

http://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/D ... df#page=40

The Journal of the Senate for TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017 at the bottom of page 676 and into page 677 has the following language:

The parts I highlighted in red makes it pretty clear to me that this means a mandatory inspection program. Please correct me if you think I've interpreted this wrong ......

(c) Aquatic nuisance species inspection station. It shall be a violation of this section for a person transporting a vessel to or from a water to not have the vessel, the motor vehicle transporting the vessel, the trailer, and other equipment inspected and, if determined necessary, decontaminated at an approved aquatic nuisance species inspection station prior to launching the vessel and upon leaving a water if:

(1) an aquatic nuisance species inspection station is maintained at the area where the vessel is entering or leaving the water;

(2) the aquatic nuisance species inspection station is open; and

(3) an individual operating the aquatic nuisance species inspection station identifies the vessel for inspection or decontamination.

[PerchSlayerVT]

Just in case you didn't notice, the bill will allow inspectors to ALSO conduct mandatory inspections of your TOW VEHICLE! Seriously. Look at the red text above.

[homewrecker]

Emails sent to all on list.