Jet Skis Banned at Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Environmentalists and the Public Overwhelmingly Support the Decision
Posted by Bluewater Network on April 28, 1999
San Francisco, CA -- The National Park Service (NPS) at Cape
Hatteras National Seashore (NC) will announce on Saturday that personal
watercraft (PWC), better known as jet skis, will be prohibited within the
seashore's boundaries as of May 17. The decision comes after the NPS
received more than 1,000 comments during its eight-week comment period on
PWC management policies. According to Park Superintendent Bob Reynolds,
citizens' remarks support the ban by a margin of more than ten to one.
Bluewater Network activists fought for over a year to convince the NPS at
Cape Hatteras that PWC inflict lasting damage to the air and water quality,
wildlife, natural quiet, and visitor safety and enjoyment, violating the
Park Service's mandate to leave park resources unimpaired. "This
destructive form of recreation has no place in our Park System," said Sean
Smith, Bluewater Network's Conservation Director. "We commend the Park
Service for protecting the seashores' unique and pristine resources."
Bluewater Network will now focus on other park units which have PWC
activity, such as Cape Hatteras' immediate southern neighbor Cape Lookout.
"How can the NPS ban PWC at Cape Hatteras but permit them at Cape Lookout?"
asked Smith. "The laws that protect the National Parks apply to all park
units, not just a select few. We hope the public's overwhelming support
for Cape Hatteras' PWC ban will finally convince Park Service staff in
Washington DC that the American public do not want thrill-craft in their
parks."
Bluewater Network contends that any one of PWC countless impacts, including
degraded wilderness, increased conflicts with other recreation users, toxic
water pollution, noise disturbances, harassed and injured wildlife, and
increased boating accidents, warrant a system-wide ban. "Jet skis are
floating chainsaws - their noise alone makes them inappropriate for the
America's parks," said Russell Long, Bluewater Network's Director.
The pollution impacts are even worse, the group reports. According to the
California Air Resources Board, a 100 hp jet ski operated for one hour
emits the same amount of pollution as driving a modern passenger vehicle
for a year. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that a single PWC
emits between 25 and 30% of its gas and oil directly into park waters.
"That's up to three gallons of fuel per hour," continued Long. "The Park
Service wouldn't allow a park visitor to dump three gallons of gas and oil
into park waters, so why would they allow a jet ski operator to do so?"
For more information contact:
Sean Smith
Conservation Director, Bluewater Network
(415) 788-3666 x149
seansmith@earthisland.org
Catastrophic Oil Spill Likely from Coast Guard Failures
San Francisco, CA -- In a letter sent to Commandant Loy,
the Chief of the US Coast Guard, Bluewater Network today accused the US
Coast Guard of failing to implement Congressionally required actions to
protect the United States from further catastrophic oil spills similar
to that of the Exxon Valdez in 1989.
“Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 in order to protect our
coastal communities, wildlife, and fishers,” said Dr. Russell Long,
Executive Director of Bluewater Network. “Unfortunately, on many
provisions such as requiring double tug escorts for tankers in sensitive
waters, or leak detection devices, the US Coast Guard has simply ignored
the will of Congress. As a result, the question is not if the US will
have another devastating spill, but where and when it will occur.”
In a related action, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today sent a letter to
Commandant Loy demanding responses to these and other concerns.
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was passed by Congress to reduce
the risk of future spills. Yet in 1998 the Marine Board of the National
Academy of Sciences published a report revealing that the bulk of OPA 90
had not yet been implemented. For example, almost ninety percent of the
aging tanker fleet remains single hull – the safer, double hull ships
being phased-in by 2015. Sally Ann Lentz of Bluewater/Ocean Advocates
said, “The recent break-up of the New Carissa on the Oregon coast
illustrates how little has been achieved over the past ten years to
prevent and effectively respond to spills outside of Alaska. The US
Coast Guard deserves a failing grade.”
Despite the increasing risks posed by the fleet, many of the key
provisions of OPA 90 have been ignored. For example, the Coast Guard
has failed: (1) to require multiple tug escorts for tankers in
environmentally sensitive or treacherous waters; (2) to require leak
detection devices on tankers; and, (3) to issue interim measures for the
existing single hull fleet. In addition, the Coast Guard has also defied
Congress by (4) suspending its rulemaking to improve salvage capability
and firefighting; and, (5) suspending a requirement for a 25% increase
in on-water recovery equipment.
For more information contact:
Russell Long
Project Director, Bluewater Network
(415) 788-3666 x110
rlong@earthisland.org
Bluewater Network is the largest coalition of boaters, scientists,
low-impact recreation enthusiasts, wildlife advocates, marine industry
experts, and clean water advocates working to reduce the environmental
impacts of recreational boating. Bluewater acts as an information
clearinghouse and support mechanism for communities and government agencies
working to regulate and prohibit two-stroke engines as well as personal
watercraft (PWC).
Beta Available: Broadcast quality video of jet ski and the pollution
damage caused by two-stroke motors is available from Bluewater Network.
