The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, the leading trade association of North American small businesses that sell and service recreational boats, expressed grave concern over the Trump administration’s move to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to allow for the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol, or E15, year-round. Matt Gruhn, President of the MRAA, […]
Tag: Legislative Updates
Vital Water Infrastructure Bill Heads to President’s Desk
On Wednesday, October 10, the Senate passed the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, and it now awaits President Trump’s signature. The bill has been a major priority for the recreational boating industry, as it contains numerous provisions that affect issues such as efforts to combat aquatic invasive species, dredging programs, everglades restoration, and controlling […]
MRAA and ORR Support Sound Trade Policies, Warn Against Tariff Impacts
While the outdoor recreation industry supports fair international trade policies and efforts to protect U.S. business interests in the global market, recent trade policy developments have threatened continued growth in this critical $673 billion industry. We understand the Administration’s efforts to safeguard U.S. intellectual property and balance unfair trade deficits, however recent tariffs have prompted […]
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Welcomes Final Release of First-Ever Government Statistics on Industry
Washington, D.C. – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) today welcomed the final report on the first-ever government statistics recognizing the outdoor recreation industry as a significant contributor to the U.S. economy. The report, federally funded by the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, was released today by Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The […]
Congressional Boating Caucus Highlights Workforce Issues on Capitol Hill
On September 5th, MRAA, NMMA, and BoatUS hosted several representatives of state marine trades associations including Wendy Mackie if the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, Peter Schrappen of Northwest Marine Trade Association, Randall Lyons of the Massachusetts Marine Trade Association, and Susan Zellers of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland for the purpose of a […]
Congress To Tackle Harmful Algae Blooms
Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on dangerous algae blooms. Florida is currently facing an unprecedented algae event, but a number of other states are experiencing harmful algae blooms and the problem continues to grow. The negative impact that toxic algae blooms have on the recreational boating community […]
Be the Change: Tell your Senators to Support the Modern Fish Act
Thanks to your efforts, the House has passed HR 200, which includes Modern Fish Act provisions. This is a bipartisan step towards advancing recreational fishing policy. Your letters made the difference! It is now time for the U.S. Senate to take up and pass the Modern Fish Act (S. 1520). It is imperative that you […]
Tell Washington That Tariffs are Bad for Boating
Boat dealers and manufacturers are beginning to feel the impact of the worldwide trade conflict. As the Trump administration continues to levy tariffs on materials, products and components vital to the recreational boating industry, the ripple effects have reached the retail level in the form of additional surcharges, delays, and even cancelled orders. In a […]
Are You On Board With BoatPAC?
BoatPAC is the recreational boating industry’s political action committee. It works by bringing all industry segments together to support candidates running for Congress who will represent and protect the interests of the recreational boating industry on Capitol Hill. But we need your help. Each year, we update our compliance records to ensure that we have […]
MRAA Urges Army Corp to Address Invasive Species Threat in the Great Lakes
MRAA, along with several other recreational boating and conservation partners, signed a joint letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, R.D. James, requesting expedited consideration of the Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) at Brandon Road Lock and Dam – an important measure to prevent the spread of Asian carp to the Great […]