On December 10 MRAA joined with 40 other organizations in an open letter to Congress and a full page advertisement in Political, a Capitol Hill newspaper, asking Congress to support several bills that have been introduced in both the House and Senate which would eliminate the corn ethanol mandate in the renewable fuel standard (RFS).

The ad and open letter to Congress said the recent EPA’s newly released proposal for biofuels is a small step in the right direction, but it is clearly insufficient to effectively address the harmful federal policy and that only Congress can solve the problem. The production of corn ethanol now consumes approximately 40 percent of the corn produced in the U.S. annually.

The EPA’s decision will do little to reduce ethanol’s share of the annual corn crop and virtually nothing to alleviate the broad economic and environmental damage currently caused by using corn for fuel. Farmers are increasing corn production by converting wetlands to crop land.

MRAA Chairman Steve Baum and President Matt Gruhn has asked the President to support the recent decision by the US Environment Protection Agency to waive the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Many have expressed great concern that the market cannot accommodate higher levels of ethanol. “We remain concerned that the new RFS would require more biofuel than consumers demand and perhaps more importantly more ethanol than current boats are designed and warranted to handle,” said Baum and Gruhn.

The problem is compounded by millions of boats being used by American families for fun and fishing that use a technology that is not compatible with the current standard. Forcing even more biofuels into the marketplace will damage engines and outboard motors placing families in danger on the open waters. “Boats are generally not used frequently enough to allow ethanol blend gasoline to move through the fuel system. As a result, the ethanol breaks down into water and corrodes the fuel lines and engine parts. Boats cease to operate, repair costs are very high, and families are place in harm’s way waiting for a tow to a safe port,” Baum and Gruhn told the President.

Representatives from fifteen marine trades associations met under the Advisory Council of Marine Associations (ACMA) at the Marine Dealer Conference and Expo (MDCE) to review legislative and regulatory activity at the states and federal government. ACMA serves as the legislative committee of the MRAA Board and prepares resolutions which are presented to the MRAA Board for approval. These resolutions serve as a guide for MRAA positions and legislative strategy and priorities for the upcoming year.

Highlights of the 2013 federal legislative year that were discussed include ethanol, efforts to reduce red tape and regulation, dredging, tax reform, and EPA activity on copper bottom paint.

The state marine trades associations expressed their activities on the longshore insurance issue, impacts of bridge schedules on boating, tow boat issues, specific concerns about dredging and the need for supplemental funding, OAHA rules over marinas and boat yards, increased enforcement of the EPA over bottom washing, problems with abandoned boats, sales tax exemption for boat trade-ins, problems with the spreading of zebra mussels and Asian carp, effects of hurricane Sandy on the boating industry, and repeal of a luxury tax on boats.

ACMA passed six resolutions that will be presented to the MRAA Board for review and approval.

1.) Take action to protect the personal home mortgage interest deduction as applied to vessel ownership.

2.) Take action to support repeal of the renewable fuel program to reduce the impact of ethanol or eliminate it completely.

3.) Take action to strongly oppose mandatory adult PFD wear by the Coast Guard and leave that decision to individual states.

4.) Take action to investigate the possibility of funding for dredging of recreational boating harbors that would be provided from the Harbor Trust Fund.

5.) Take action to advocate for the downsizing of the federal government while increasing competition through privatization of government services.

6.) Take action to be an advocate and supporter of a revision to Moss-Magnuson fishing legislation during it re-authorization calling for more time and attitude to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to rebuild over-fished stocks using reliable scientific research and data.

Nicki Polan, Executive Director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association was elected chair of ACMA for 2014.

As the Washington Watch goes to press, Congress has passed 55-laws; and with only a few days left before the end of the year, the 113^th Congress will certainly go down as the least productive in history. Even the infamous Do-Nothing Congress of 1948 did more. Hyper-partisanship is gumming up the bulk of laws. Most of the laws passed have dealt with naming government buildings, land tracks, and post offices. The House has passed 308 bills and the Senate has passed 289, but the differences are so great few believe they can be reconciled into final law

The good news is that for the first time in four to five years there is no critical edge of the cliff crisis that threatens the economy. In addition, by putting the brakes on tougher laws and regulations, small businesses may actually have benefited by the inaction.

The House and Senate are in the conference on a Budget Resolution, which is expected to go to the floor of each Chamber on December 13. It would be the first Budget Resolution for several years. The House of Representatives is then scheduled to recess for the remaining of the year for the Christmas holiday. The Senate wants to approve several judge appointments and will be in session until December 20. Given the partisanship, budget negotiators have focused on as few trades-offs as possible to reach an agreement by addressing some relief from sequestration, especially for the Department of Defense, in exchange for small savings from entitlements. Many marine retailers remain concerned about the lack of progress in Congress on reducing the budget and the complications of federal regulations. Marine retailers believe there are too many bad laws that should be repealed off the books.

Passing laws is not the only duty of Congress. Members help constituents navigate the federal bureaucracy, assist with visas and passports, and act as a watchdog for the executive branch and federal spending.