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ADVOCATE

In this issue:• 2020 IMBC Preconference Sessions

Announced … page 3• VMTA Announces Annual Conference …

page 5• The Marina Electrical System, What You

Need to Know …page 15

October 2019

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Welcome to the October IssueNominations Being Sought For AMI Board Openings

AMI is seeking nominations for people in the industry to fill board openings available in January 2020. Forward your board nominations to AMI by email to malves@marinaassociation.org or by phone at 866-367-6622. Nomi-nations must be submitted by November 15, 2019. Individuals who are nominated for board positions will be asked to submit a resume or CV which will be forwarded to the AMI nominations committee for further review.

2019 AMI Officers Joe Riley, CMM – Chairman Riley Marine GroupChris Petty – Vice Chairman Suntex Waterfront ManagementJohn Swick – Treasurer Safe Harbor Marinas Representing MATChris Dolan – Secretary Marina Electrical EquipmentBrad Gross, CMM Immediate Past Chairman

201AMI Board of Directors Giuseppe Alvarado Representing PCC Shilshole Bay MarinaAustin Cameron VIP Marina on Lake Travis Rick Chapman, CMM Representing MMA Port of Sunnyside Club, Inc.John Chiazza USI Insurance Services, LLC Ray Fernandez Representing NJ MTA - Bridge Marina, Inc.Steve Linton, CMM Representing WMA – Pikes Bay MarinaEnza Montano Westrec Marinas Michael Short, CMM Representing Boating BC- False Creek Fuels Ronald Souza, CMM Westrec Marina RJ Brazil Kevin Thompson Bellingham MarineMarieke van Peer, CMM - Seahaven Superyacht MarinaBill Young Morningstar Properties

Marina Electrical Preventative Maintenance Program 101

Electrical Webinar Series  November 6, 201912:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Marina electrical systems are a critical part of your marina facility, providing your customers with the power they need to spend quality time on the water. Also, maintaining these systems is key to keeping your customers and employees safe. But, does your marina regularly, proactively maintain these systems? Do you have a plan in place so that regular maintenance is conducted? In this first part of a two-part series you will learn the critical aspects of a maintenance plan and how to set one up at your marina.

Click Here To Register

Industry News

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2020 International Marina & Boatyard Conference Pre-Conference Events

(require pre-registration and additional fee)

The International Marina & Boatyard Conference offers countless educational and networking opportunities! Get the most out of your IMBC experience and choose from any of the following registration add-ons!

• Entry-level training- Marina 101• IMBC Field Trip- Tour of local marinas and boatyards• New Marina Electrical Codes Workshop• Marina design course- Theory and Design of Floating Wave Attenuators

New Marina Electrical Codes WorkshopJanuary 14 - 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Floridian B/CHop on the bus with your colleagues, tour a few of southeast Florida's finest local marinas and boatyards. The tour will begin with lunch and a tour of Pier 66 Hotel and Marina and then will continue on to tour SEAHAVEN Superyacht Marina and Derecktor Shipyard.

Marina 101January 14 - 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Room 305 Marina 101 is a three-hour course geared toward those individuals, with little or no marina experience, looking to get into the industry by way of an advancement oppor-tunity, career shift, or an interest in purchasing or developing a marina.

Created and presented by Carl F. Wolf, CMM, CMI and former president of the Interna-tional Marina Institute.

Theory & Design of Floating Wave AttenuatorsJanuary 14 - 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

This class, targeted largely to planners, designers and vendors of such systems, is intended to present the evolution of floating weave attenuators over the past half century, introduce the theory of wave attenuation, and present tools to estimate honest expectations for performance of such a system. The class will be given in-struction in how to design a simple, but proper mooring system, whether pile restrained, or catenary moored, or other technique.

Marina & Boatyard TourJanuary 14 - 11:30 AM to 04:30 PM - Outside Hall A

Hop on the bus with your colleagues, tour a few of southeast Florida's finest local marinas and boatyards. The tour will begin with lunch and a tour of Pier 66 Hotel and Marina and then will continue on to tour SEAHAVEN Superyacht Marina and Derecktor Shipyard.

Industry News

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The 2019 Professional Marina Resource Guide is now available!AMI’s Professional Marina Resource Guide serves as an invaluable resource to those who desire access to professionals and companies who provide products and services

for the marina industry.

The Professional Marina Resource Guide is brought to you as a service of the Association of Marina Industries (AMI). All companies in the Guide are members of AMI. AMI represents a diverse membership of nearly 1,100 marinas, boatyards, yacht clubs, public/private moorage basins, and marina suppliers around the world. These companies provide slip space for over 165,000

recreation watercrafts and employment for over 8000 marine tradesmen and women.

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The 2019 Professional Marina Resource Guide is now available!AMI’s Professional Marina Resource Guide serves as an invaluable resource to those who desire access to professionals and companies who provide products and services

for the marina industry.

The Professional Marina Resource Guide is brought to you as a service of the Association of Marina Industries (AMI). All companies in the Guide are members of AMI. AMI represents a diverse membership of nearly 1,100 marinas, boatyards, yacht clubs, public/private moorage basins, and marina suppliers around the world. These companies provide slip space for over 165,000

recreation watercrafts and employment for over 8000 marine tradesmen and women.

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Dammrich Honored with Marine Marketers Award

Source: Marina Dock Age Magazine

Outgoing  National Marine Manufacturers Associa-tion  (NMMA) president, Dr. Thomas Dammrich, was presented with the special “Marketer of Excellence” Neptune Award by  Marine Marketers of Ameri-ca  (MMA) at the third annual Grow Boating Marketing Summit at International Boatbuilders Exhibition (IBEX) in Tampa, Florida. Dammrich received a stand-ing ovation from the crowd of 200 marine marketers in attendance.

MMA President Wanda Kenton Smith cited numer-ous marketing programs launched under Dammrich’s watch, which have positively impacted the marine in-dustry, including the Discover Boating outreach cam-paign and its industry-facing Grow Boating initiative. Additionally, his broad-reaching vision of welcoming diverse new markets as well as recognizing the buy-ing influence and importance of engaging kids has helped focus the importance of longer-term indus-try growth strategies. Dammrich has also served as a powerful industry advocate and PR spokesperson,

having represented and positively positioned the rec-reational marine industry in hundreds of media inter-views.

VMTA Announces Annual Conference Set for November 12 at VIMS

The Virginia Ma-rine Trades As-sociation (VMTA) annual confer-ence will be held Tuesday, November 12th at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Waterman’s Hall, Glouces-ter Point, Virginia. The conference is held to provide timely updates for Virginia’s recreational marine in-dustry and features a diverse group of speakers.

The conference will open with an online presentation by Congressman Rob Wittman, VA, 1st Congressional District. Congressman Wittman will address Work-force Development in Virginia.

The keynote address will be presented by Captain Pat Mundus, East End Charters, Greenport, NY, who will speak about changes in the boating industry.

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North Island MarinaBritish Columbia, Canada

Collins Bay MarinaOntario, Canada

Town of Whitby – Port WhitbyOntario, Canada

Prime MarineEdgartown, MA

HUB International HKMB LimitedOntario, Canada

Cellofoam North America Inc.Conyers, GA

Galveston Yacht BasinGalveston, TX

H.W. Marine ResortKingwood, TX

The Boathouse Marina, LLCColonial Beach, VA

Welcome Aboard

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Additional presentations include:

• Industry Update by Margaret Podlich, Executive Director American Boat and Yacht Council Foun-dation.

• Workforce Round Table moderated by Margaret Podlich; Dr. Megan Healy-Secretary of Workforce Development; Dr. Sharon Morrissey-Senior Vice Chancellor, Virginia Community College System (VCCS); Susan Zellers, Executive Director of the Maryland Marine Trades Association; Carlton Phil-lips, owner of Prince William Marina.

• Old Boats & New Buyers creates a recipe for un-happy outcomes, Paul Anderson Manager, Regent Point Marina, Topping, Virginia.

• Marina Electrical Systems: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Chris Dolan Customer Relations Man-ager for Marina Electrical Equipment (MEE) in Wil-liamsburg.

• What’s coming down from Capitol Hill: Jason Ortega of LobbyIt.com, AMI’s representative in Washington, DC, along with Libby Yranski, Direc-tor of State Government Relations for the Na-tional Marine Manufacturers Association and the Executive Director for the States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) will discuss legislation that might impact the industry in the future months.

• Upshot from the Southern New England Marine Industry Environmental Conference Evan Ridley, Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, Project Manager, Rhode Island Fiberglass Vessel Recy-cling Pilot Project.

• After the conference there will be a VMTA Board and Member Meeting.

Exhibitors and sponsors include Eyre Baldwin, on behalf of the Superyacht Association; NWP Energy; Pettit Paint Company; Rappahannock Community College; Simply Marinas, SpinSheet Publishing Com-pany; Virginia Clean Marina Program, and The Water-way Guide.

The conference is $50 for members of the VMTA, $100 for non-members. Lunch will be provided. Re-

quest a conference registration form by sending an email to info@virginiaboatlovers.com, which will out-line payment and registration options. Please register no later than Thursday, November 7th for there to be enough refreshments/lunches for all.

For more information contact: Carter Bonner, Execu-tive Director, VMTA, info@virginiaboatlovers.com or visit virginiaboatlovers.com.

Grow Boating, MRAA Launch Part 2 of First-Time Boat Shopper Sales Course

As part of its educational part-nership, Grow Boating and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas have launched “Selling to First-Time Boat Shoppers’ Motivations,” the second in a three-part series of e-learning courses.

The purpose of the series, Grow Your Dealership with First-Time Boat Buyers, is to transform Discover Boat-ing’s research of first-time boat buyers into education, tools and resources that can help marine retailers and their employees provide a customer experience that will lead to more boat sales now and in the future.

“To grow boating and ultimately boost sales, busi-nesses must continue attracting, and retaining, first-time boat buyers. With educational resources focused on this segment, businesses will be better equipped to lead shoppers on a customized path to purchase,” says Carl Blackwell, President of Grow Boating.

“That is why Grow Boating teamed up with MRAA to offer educational programming that is grounded in sound research on this critical audience. Participants will come out of this e-learning course with a clear understanding of the first-time boat buyer as well as applicable takeaways to provide the best experience for shoppers.”

This second course in the series, taught by leading dealership trainer Jim Million, provides specific guid-ance for dealership salespeople on how to identify what motivates their prospects and customers, and use the information they’ve gathered about their

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prospective buyer to provide an outstanding shop-ping and purchase experience.

“The salespeople who take this course will be better armed to build a strong rapport with first-time boat shoppers,” says Liz Walz, Vice President of the MRAA. “That will lead to better relationships, more sales and higher customer loyalty, which is a win for the sales-person, the dealership, the customer and this indus-try.”

To watch the first two courses in the series – Under-stand and Guide the First-Time Boat Shopper and Selling to First-Time Boat Shoppers’ Motivations – visit www.mraa.com/GrowBoating. The third part in the series, Tools to Turn First-Time Boat Shoppers into Buyers, will be officially unveiled at Dealer Week, the MRAA’s annual conference and expo, December 8-11, in Tampa, Fla.

Suntex Marina Investors Annouce Significant Investment in Bahia Mar

Yachting Center

Source : Soundings Trade Only; By: Reagan Haynes

Suntex Marina Investors announced that it made a “significant investment” in Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

The Bahia Mar hotel and upland property, which is im-mediately adjacent to the marina, will continue to be owned, managed and operated by Jimmy and Kenny Tate of Tate Capital as a portfolio investment property for the Tate and Rok families of South Florida.

In conjunction with the investment, Suntex sold its majority stake in the Loggerhead Marine portfolio to its joint venture partner, Equity Lifestyle Properties.The Bahia Mar Yachting Center property is similar to the Miami Beach Marina and Marina Jack in that it is a large, premier asset, said Bryan Redmond, Suntex president and founding principal.

“We’re enhancing, optimizing and reinvesting for sure,” Redmond told Trade Only Today. “As technol-

ogy gets better, we want to reinvest. There’s always a way to make marinas better and more up-to-date, which is our plan to continue forward with those properties.”

The key is that the amenities are already there, and Suntex can optimize them, Redmond said.

“It’s all about driving that overall experience,” he said. “People perceive the Miami Beach Marina and Ba-hia Mar as just being for big yachts. They also have midsize boats that are year-round. A lot of boats run from 30 to 80 feet. There are rental operations and boat clubs … so they’re really catering to anyone.”

One way to get new and potential boaters into the marina is through enhanced food and beverage op-erations, with more waterfront dining opportunities for residents and visitors to Fort Lauderdale, Red-mond said. But getting the word out will take inten-tional marketing on Suntex’s part, he said.

“We don’t want to discount the megayacht owners because that’s a big part of what’s driving business,” Redmond said. “You’ll continue to see us reinvest in infrastructure for food and beverage, and market through social media. There are ways we can take away that intimidation factor. It’s all about the experi-ence. If we can get them there and are doing our best to facilitate a great experience, hopefully we can get them to sign up to join a club or buy a boat.”

Bahia Mar Yachting Center has 250 slips, can handle vessels to 300 feet along its 3,000-foot parallel dock, and has more than 5,000 feet of floating dockage. It also offers high-speed fueling, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, in-slip pumpout, a marine store, a dive shop and a maintenance provider.

“We understand that captains and their crews need rest time, and we want them to enjoy their experience at the Bahia Mar as much as their guests,” said Ron TenEyck, senior vice president of Suntex, in a state-ment. “This is also one of the areas that we plan to expand upon to ensure our visitors will continue to appreciate the Bahia Mar Yachting Center as a world-class venue.”

Redmond emphasized that the “Tate family is remain-ing in control of the Bahia Mar and have big ideas

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and plans about what they want to do with the up-lands and hotel. They brought in Suntex to partner with them and be the operator of the marina.”

“Kenny and I have appreciated the great working re-lationship with RCI Marine as a partner and manager of the Bahia Mar Yachting Center over the past five years,” said Jimmy Tate, president of Tate Capital, in the statement. “However, we are very excited to work closely with Suntex and affect a smooth, seamless and successful transition.

The investment in Bahia Mar Yachting Center coin-cides with Suntex’s sale of its majority stake in the Loggerhead Marina portfolio to its joint venture part-ner Equity Lifestyle Properties.

The divestiture and restructuring is intended to focus energies on large, amenity-based marinas and create opportunities for geographic diversification, accord-ing to Suntex.

“We transacted with [Equity Lifestyle Properties] in first week of September,” Redmond said. “They were our joint venture partner from the beginning in that deal. We’ve been proud of our team in investing in those properties and growing earnings. In talking to ELS, they were excited about continuing to be in the business. We had the opportunity to make a large investment in Bahia Mar. Looking at the portfolio and the fact that we wanted to focus on on larger, pre-mier assets, that made a lot of sense for us.”

Suntex will prioritize expenditures on the operation and development of such facilities as Liberty Landing, Marina Jack, Miami Beach Marina, State Dock Marina and the redevelopment of Las Olas Marina.

EPA and USDA Announce New Initiative to Expand Use of Biofuels

Source: Marina Dockage staff

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new initiative to expand the use of biofuels like E15 across the country.

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The new proposal – which follows the administra-tion’s decision earlier this year to lift the summertime ban on E15 sales – seeks to pump more than 15 bil-lion gallons of ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply beginning in 2020. To help achieve this, one of the options the administration is considering is permit-ting retailers to use the same fuel tanks to store both E10 and E15.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) will continue to monitor the situation and educate policymakers on the dangers of expanding the availability of E15.

For more information, contact NMMA Senior Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA Direc-tor of Federal Government Relations, Callie Hoyt at choyt@nmma.org.

Army Corps of Engineers Proposes Texas Hurricane Protection

Source: Trady Only Editors

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed building up 14-foot-high sand dunes as part of a $32 billion plan to protect the Houston and Galveston areas in Texas from hurricane storm surge.

The Corps of Engineers said in a statement that the plan calls for establishing about 44 miles of dunes and floodgates from High Island to San Luis Pass, as well as ecosystem restoration farther south. The pro-posal is among a series of revisions the Corps made to the coastal barrier alignment that was released last year.

The original plan was to build levees that would run parallel to FM 3005 on Galveston Island and Texas 87 on Bolivar Peninsula but behind the dune line. This reportedly would have left thousands of homes ad-jacent to the beach exposed to flooding and could have required eminent domain buyouts.

The updated plan and switch to sand dunes has been “mostly embraced” by experts as the most practical and politically expedient next step for storm surge mitigation.

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“We’re talking about a dune system that runs along the existing dune line,” Kelly Burks-Copes, the Corps’ project manager, said in the statement. “It’s just one solid, continuous line with beach access still afforded, with drive-overs and walk-overs, in compliance with the Open Beaches Act.”

The dunes could also help alleviate erosion. The Bu-reau of Economic Geology, which monitors shoreline changes along the Texas coast, estimates that parts of Galveston and Bolivar have lost 5 to 8 feet of shore-line in the last 80 years.

US and China Report Progress in Trade Negotiations

Source: Soundings Trade Only staff

The United States and China reported progress in trade negotiations, announcing a partial deal to de-escalate the trade war on Friday.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association said it was “cautiously optimistic” about the development, though several news outlets were more skeptical.

The Trump administration said it would forgo a planned increase in tariffs to 30 percent from 25 percent on $250 billion in annual imports from Chi-na scheduled to take place today, according to the NMMA. That would be in exchange for Beijing drasti-cally increasing imports of American crops, according to The Hill.

However, a tariff hike implemented in September was not rolled back and plans for another hike just before the Christmas holiday on Dec. 15 remain in place, ac-cording to CNBC.

Washington and Wall Street are reacting with caution to the announcement; Beijing hinted that it needs time to finalize the terms amid criticism that the agreement doesn’t address Trump’s broader trade deal priorities, The Hill reported.

Chinese state media appeared cautious about cele-brating the partial U.S.-China trade deal, and warned Washington to “avoid backpedaling,” according to CNBC.

“While the negotiations do appear to have produced a fundamental understanding on the key issues and the broader benefits of friendly relations, the Cham-pagne should probably be kept on ice, at least until the two presidents put pen to paper,” wrote China Daily on Sunday.

NMMA said it is cautiously optimistic by the develop-ment, noting that the deal is a positive step forward, but acknowledged that more work is needed to re-solve all trade-related challenges facing the industry. According to the NMMA, the goal is for the U.S. and China to come to a final deal that removes all tariffs as quickly as possible.

For now, the Trump administration intends to move ahead with a 15 percent tariff on nearly $160 billion worth of Chinese goods starting Dec. 15. That list in-cludes life jackets, personal floatation devices, and fishing gear and tackle.

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Clean Marina & Environmental News

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Certifies Two New

Maryland Clean Marinas

Source: The Bay Net

Two facilities recently passed inspection by the Mary-land Department of Natural Resources’ voluntary Clean Marina program, earning the Maryland Clean Marina Award. Solomons Landing Marina and Kent Narrows Boatel met the award criteria, bringing the total num-ber of Clean Marinas and Clean Marina Partners to 147. This is roughly a quarter of the marinas in Maryland.

Department staff evaluate participating marinas or yacht clubs on areas such as emergency preparedness, waste containment/disposal, and stormwater manage-ment. To pass, the marina must score from 75 – 85% in each area of the award checklist by implementing practices from the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook.As part of their environmental initiatives, the commu-nity of Solomons Landing installed fuel spill response kits, started sharing environmental education materi-als with slip holders, and developed clarified marina rules. Kent Narrows Boatel assembled safety data sheets for hazardous materials, established a boat-washing area, and improved staff training. Clean Ma-rinas are re-inspected every three years to ensure they continue to meet the standards. The program was developed in 1998 by a committee comprised of marina and boatyard operators, state and local government officials, academics, and boat-

ing groups with the goal of reducing n o n p o i n t source pol-lution from marine fa-cilities and recreational boats. Boat-ers are en-

couraged to participate by signing the Maryland Clean Boater Pledge.

Boaters and marina operators who want to learn more about the program should contact donna.mor-row@maryland.gov or visit the Maryland Clean Ma-rina webpage.

NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Advisory Council Applicants

Source: National Marine Sanctuaries

National marine sanctuary advisory councils are com-munity-based advisory groups established to provide advice and recommendations to the superintendents of the national marine sanctuaries on issues including management, science, service, and stewardship. They also serve as liaisons between their constituents in the community and the sanctuary.

"Across the sanctuary system, advisory council mem-bers represent a vibrant and diverse body of expertise from our local communities," said John Armor, Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "Their in-put and experience provides the system with the criti-cal insights needed to make well-informed decisions on how to best manage and protect our natural and cultural resources for current and future generations."

Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; views regarding the protection and man-agement of marine or Great Lakes resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the site. Applicants chosen as members or alter-nates should expect to serve two or three-year terms, pursuant to the charter of the specific national ma-rine sanctuary advisory council or Northwestern Ha-waiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council.

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Become a Certified Marina Manager (CMM) or Certified Marina Operator (CMO)

CMM/CMOCertified Marina Managers (CMM) and Certified Marina Operators (CMO) are marina professionals who have completed an extensive training and certification process through the globally recognized International Marina Institute (IMI) and embrace the continuance of education and training for themselves and those who work within the marina industry.

How do I become a CMM or CMO?Step 1

Attend the Intermediate Marina Management Course (IMM). This course focuses on marina operations, policies, and procedures. Marina-man-agement pros offer their expert thinking about business issues and challenges throughout the industry.

Topics include marina-law risk and liabilities, fire and emergency-response planning, environmental management, health and safety compliance, and personal self improvement skills

*Must have one year of marina management experience to attend.

Step 2

Attend the Advance Marina Management Course (AMM). Through small groups, interactive workshops, and specific case studies, the AMM course examines such topics as profit-center management, regulations and permit-ting, operations, marina law, human resource management, risk management and loss control, improving the quality and value of services, policy and procedure manuals, business strategy and financial management, marketing, promotion, and pricing.

The AMM offers its graduates a national and international business perspec-tive on management issues, and a long-term network of international con-tacts to rely on in the future.

*Must have three years of marina management experience and attended IMM Course.

Step 3

Upon completion of the IMM and AMM courses you then apply for the certification that you qualify for, CMM or CMO.

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Around The WorldNew Boat Dry-Stack Facility Opens at

Martha Cove

Source: Marine Business

Marina Village Martha Cove is now home to Vic-toria’s newest boat dry-stack facility, marking the completion of stage one at Boatyard Martha Cove by d’Albora.

The new state-of-the-art facility offers fully enclosed storage solutions for vessels up to 35-feet, available all year round.

The stacker joins a range of quality on-site marine services, including full-service maintenance man-agement, refit repair sheds, 70-tonne travel lift, hard stand, work berths and trailer storage.

The boatyard and marina are located within Marina Village Martha Cove, the only masterplanned com-munity on the Mornington Peninsula.

Paul Vernon, national operations manager for d’Albora Marinas, said that the completion of stage one would position the boatyard as the premium vessel and maintenance facility in Victoria.

“We’re proud to now be home to the most state-of-the-art boat dry-stack facility in Victoria. This com-pletes stage one of the fully integrated boatyard and marine services we are now able to offer,” says Ver-non.

Boatyard Martha Cove’s dry-stack offers a cost-ef-fective storage solution for boat owners, providing a fully enclosed, clean and secure environment.

The boatyard forms part of Martha Cove’s Marine En-terprise Precinct, which also includes the 232-berth Marina Martha Cove – a boutique location for mari-ners with up to a 99-year berth lease term availability.

The marina is a safe and sheltered harbour, featuring swipe access to marina arms, a 24/7 security system, on-site security staff, fuel dock, public boat ramp and car parking.

Developed by Balmain Group and designed by town architect Karl Fender, of Fender Katsalidis, Marina Vil-lage Martha Cove is a 94-hectare waterfront commu-nity on the south eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay. It offers bespoke waterfront living, retail experiences and top-of-the-range boatyard and marina services.

The first stage of the project’s residential develop-ment, a 43-apartment building known as The Moor-ings, is also complete. A ground floor restaurant, bar and grocer, Martha’s Table, is due to open in early spring this year. Read more.

International Award for Life-Saving Marine Rescue NSW Volunteers

Source: Marine Business

Ten volunteers from Marine Rescue NSW have won a prestigious international rescue award for saving the lives of three seriously injured men on board a sink-ing boat in the dark off the NSW Mid North Coast.

The crew members from Marine Rescue Port Mac-quarie were honoured in the 2019 International Mari-time Rescue Federation Awards, announced in Lon-don overnight.

Four team members were present to receive the Out-standing Team Contribution to a Maritime Search and Rescue Operation award at a ceremony on board HQS Wellington on the Thames River.

The team also was commended in the National Search and Rescue Awards announced in Adelaide last night.

The three men on board the cruiser sustained a num-ber of injuries, including broken bones, severe lacera-tions, punctured lungs and a spinal injury, when their 10m cruiser struck a submerged object off Crescent Head in the early hours of April 14 this year.

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Two of the rescue crew members, without thought for their own safety, boarded the stricken vessel to provide immediate first aid and ensured that all three men made it off alive as the boat sank beneath them.

Commissioner Stacey Tannos said the volunteers were rightly recognised among the finest rescue teams in the world.

“Without the determined, skilled and courageous ef-forts of these volunteers, three lives would have been lost that night in the dark far offshore,” he said.

“They are genuine heroes."

“The crew worked seamlessly on land and water, first-ly to locate the boat that had issued a Mayday call and then to carefully extricate the seriously injured men from the sinking and debris-strewn boat and re-turn them to their families and friends."

“They deserve not only our praise but also our heart-felt gratitude.”

Commissioner Tannos said Marine Rescue NSW vol-unteers were professionally trained and equipped with a world-class fleet for their mission to save lives on the water.

“The efforts of the MR Port Macquarie crew and this award prove the value of the many hours our volun-teers commit to training to build their essential life-saving skills so when the call for help comes, they are ready to respond,” he said.

Marine Rescue NSW Commendations for Courage have been presented to two crew members from res-cue vessel  Port Macquarie 30, Chris Condon and Wil-liam Richardson, recognising their bravery in board-ing the holed vessel and ensuring the three men made it to safety.

Commissioner’s Citations were awarded to  Port Mac-quarie 30  crew members Reg McGlashan, Yolanda

Bosschieter and Tony Hallett;  Port Macquarie 20  crew members Robert Breskal and Owen Coulls; watch of-ficers Graham Gibbs and Gary White and Unit Com-mander Greg Davies.

The Commissioner paid tribute to the professional response of the rescue vessel crews and the Watch Officers and Unit Commander in the unit’s radio base, who all worked seamlessly on the operation.

The radio base received a Mayday call from the stricken cruiser at 1.07am on April 14 but the location given by the caller – later found to have sustained a broken jaw – was difficult to determine.

As the Watch Officers persisted in their attempts to gain accurate coordinates for the vessel’s location and Unit Commander Davies liaised with the NSW Police Marine Area Command to coordinate the re-sponse, the rescue crew searched under darkness to locate the boat.

After searching north from Port Macquarie, the crew eventually located the damaged cruiser with the as-sistance of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter just south of Crescent Head.

When  PM 30  arrived on scene, Mr Richardson and Mr Condon bravely boarded the holed vessel to provide emergency first aid to the three people on board.

As the cruiser began sinking, the pair ensured all three injured men escaped, painstakingly extricating the patient with the spinal injury from below deck where he had been trapped among debris, and keep-ing them afloat in the open ocean.

All five men were rapidly retrieved from the open ocean by the crew of  Port Macquarie 30  and trans-ferred to shore, rendezvousing en route with  Port Macquarie 20, which had NSW Ambulance paramed-ics on board.

Read more.

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Legislation & Partnerships

Marina electrical systems are critical to the operations of your marina. They are essential to your customer’s boating experience, your employees’ workday, and when they operate correctly, they keep your custom-ers and workers safe.

As a marina owner or manager, it’s a tall task to under-stand everything that goes into managing your elec-trical system. From the regularly changing National Electric Codes, to problem boats that consistently trip ground fault protection, to understanding and miti-gating electric shock drowning, there is a lot to know.

The best way to combat these potential day-to-day issues is to know your stuff. Here I give a brief over-view of what you need to know. If you do not, I pro-vide a list of resources for you to brush up on your marina electrical systems knowledge.

National Electric CodesIn January 2020, new electric codes will go into op-eration; for reference, this is NFPA 70 National Electric Code 2020. Shortly after, many Jurisdictions Having Authority (JHAs) will adopt the new code. You can find out here what code is enforced in your area. It is im-portant to know how the 2017 code can affect your business and how the 2020 codes will affect your ma-rina. For example, the 2017 code requires you to install at all approaches to your electrified docks signs that warn of electrical shock hazards, and that swimming is not allowed. The 2020 code enforces this as well and requires you to have testing equipment on hand.

Electric Shock Drowning (ESD)Experts I have spoken to recommend you do not let anyone swim within 150 feet of a dock at your facil-ity with electricals. There should be no swimming in your marina. It is important to know the sources of electricity that lead to electrical fields being present in the water. It is critical to understand the signs of an electric shock drowning and that all workers at your facility know how to shut off electricity to your docks. Learn more about ESD here.

Ground Fault Protection (GFP)It is important to understand how GFP works and that if your ground fault protection is tripping, then that means there is a safety issue. It is not a “nuisance”; it is problem that deserves your or your staff’s atten-tion. Understanding your marina’s electrical system and how GFP works can help you communicate with your customers and find solutions to problems. Par-ticularly when it is faulty wiring on a customer’s boat that is the source of the problem.

Electrical Systems Maintenance In my day-to-day interactions with marinas, it is in-teresting to find that many marina managers take a reactive approach to marina electrical maintenance. When a hazard is present, we fix a problem; prob-lems can go unnoticed until a customer complains or someone gets hurt. We change the oil in our travel lifts before the engine seizes, yes? Why do we not “change the oil” regularly in our electrical systems? It’s important to know what steps you can take to catch a problem before there is one.

If you find yourself pondering these four broad cate-gories there are many resources from multiple sourc-es that can help answer your questions.

1) Boat US – Electric Shock Drowning

2) National Fire Protection Association – NFPA 70 Na-tional Electric Code, NFPA 303 Marina Codes

• Fire Protection Standard for Marinas and Boatyards• National Electrical Code

3) American Boating and Yacht Council – Does your boat meet the E-11 Standards?

4) Electric Shock Drowning Association website

Association of Marina IndustriesAMI developed and is working to develop resources on the marina electrical system. This year we record-ed a webinar series that covers the National Electric

By Eric Kretsch

Legislations & Partnerships continued on Page 17

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CAILIENIDAI� OF COUll�SIES

& IEVIENl1S

2019 Marina 101 September 29 Tampa, FL

Marina & Boatyard Study Tour September 30 Tampa, FL

CMM/CMO Roundtable Event October 29 Fort Lauderdale, FL

The voice of the marina industry

Intermediate Marina Mangement Course (IMM) November 3-7 Fort Lauderdale, FL

Intermediate Marina Management Course (IMM) December 1-5 Ontario, CANADA

Advanced Marina Management Course (AMM) December 8-1 3 Jacksonville, FL

2020 International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC)

January 1 4- 1 6 Fort Lauderdale, FL

Intermediate Marina Management Course (IMM) February 9-13 Seattle, WA

Advanced Marina Management Course (AMM) February 23-28 Charleston, SC

50 Water St.• Warren, RI 02885 • 401-247-0314MarinaAssociation. org • malves@marinaassociation.org

17

Codes, ground gault protection, troubleshooting the problem boat, and coming up in November, marina electrical system maintenance.

You can find AMI’s webinars here.

Finally, AMI will be hosting a pre-conference workshop at the International Marina and Boatyard Conference (IMBC) in Ft, Lauderdale, FL, January 2020. You can find more information here or on the IMBC website.

Congressional Climate – October 2019

By Jason Ortega

For the month of August, the House and the Sen-ate were out of session and Members were back in their home districts. In September they returned, and things quickly heated up when Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would initiate a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump. This announcement is notable because impeachment in-quiries are rare throughout US history; however, only a handful of committees are involved in this process and the rest are working on their respective issues. These include issues like transportation, workforce development, privacy, labor, and higher education.

A major development in September was the release of a new overtime rule by the Department of Labor. Previously, workers making less than $23,000 a year qualified for overtime pay, but the new rule will now allow workers making less than $35,568 to earn over-time pay. Although this will expand overtime benefits to over 1.3 million workers, the Administration opted to not automatically adjust for inflation in the future.

The Obama administration previously attempted to expand overtime benefits to workers making less than $47,000 a year and attach future changes to the cost of living but was met with resistance and eventu-ally their rule was overturned in favor of this new one by the Trump Administration. The new overtime rule will go into effect on January 1, 2020.

During the month of September, our team began working to prep for a AMI briefing on the Hill. Un-fortunately, due to the congressional schedule, we’ve had to push the planned briefing until early 2020 but

the work of building the necessary relationships to make this event a success began immediately.   

We had an opportunity to speak directly with Repre-sentative Andy Kim (D-NJ) who has a coastal congres-sional district and several AMI members as well. He was very interested in learning more about our issues and would consider a site-visit as well. We’ve spoken with the AMI team about reaching out to members in Rep. Kim’s district to discuss a potential meet and greet in the near future.

Additionally, we circled back with a couple of offices that we met with during our short hill day earlier this year - Representative Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and Representative Mike Burgess (R-TX). Unfortunately, neither office was interested to the point of being an ally on working waterfronts moving forward.

We also met with Representative Bob Wittman’s (R-VA) office. He is a major champion for working wa-terfronts and is a cosponsor of Representative Chellie Pingree’s (D-ME) bill that we are supportive of. This is an important office for us to continue working with as things move forward. The Congressman won’t be attending VMTA’s conference but will submit a video message that will be played to attendees. We plan on utilizing this office to host our briefing in February.

I also spoke with Representative Pingree’s staffer re-garding their bill. We thanked them for working to get an amendment that would expand the language of the bill beyond fishing activities to more broadly include recreational boating as well. Unfortunately, this staffer has now retired and is no longer in the of-fice. We will keep an eye out for her replacement and meet with him/her once they are settled in.

Finally, we spoke met with Representative Garrett Graves’s (R-LA) office. He introduced the bipartisan amendment that we had asked for which expanded the language of the bill. His staff was very engaged and told us they are working on additional legislation in this space. One bill would reauthorize the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Fund, they are hoping that this can get wrapped into a broader FAST Act Reau-thorization package. Their reauthorization bill would require that 15% of the funds go to motorized boat infrastructure, which they view as the original intent of the fund. They are working with Congressman Joe Cunningham (D-SC) to introduce this language.

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News From Washington

Trump Administration Announces Exclusion Process for Chinese Goods

on Section 301 List 4A

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) recently announced that on Thursday, October 31, 2019 it will begin accepting tariff exclusion requests for Chinese products subject to an additional 15 per-cent tariff (Section 301 List 4A) that went into effect on September 1, 2019. Exclusion requests will be re-ceived via USTR’s online exclusion request processing portal at  exclusions.ustr.gov  – details regarding the application process will be published in the Federal Register this week.

Floating docks, fishing gear and tackle, and water sports equipment were included on Section 301 List 4A and NMMA encourages all affected stakeholders to submit exclusion requests. For prior lists, USTR has tended to provide decisions most quickly to requests received early in the process. NMMA stands ready to help the industry navigate the exclusion process and will submit letters in support of requests.

More information on the Section 301 tariff exclusion request process is available here.

If you have questions, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA direc-tor of federal government relations, Clay Crabtree at ccrabtree@nmma.org.

Calling All Florida Stakeholders – Register for NMMA’s Advocacy Fly-In

Today

Building on the momentum from NMMA’s inaugu-ral Florida advocacy fly-in earlier this year, the asso-ciation is convening its second edition of the event in Tallahassee on Tuesday, November 12 through Wednesday, November 13. Direct industry engage-ment in the advocacy process is essential to the long-term health of recreational boating and NMMA is

encouraging all Florida stakeholders to participate in the fly-in. Click here to register today.The November fly-in will harness the political strength of NMMA members, dealers, and other marine-relat-ed businesses to build legislative support for three key initiatives: Everglades restoration, improving wa-ter quality, and modernizing boating infrastructure. Using the winning formula from the spring 2019 event, the morning session will feature high-profile speakers and panel discussions followed by meetings in the afternoon with legislators – including House and Senate leadership – and key gubernatorial staff. A full agenda is available here.

Guarantee your spot by registering now.

For more information, please contact NMMA vice president of state government relations, David Dick-erson at ddickerson@nmma.org or NMMA manager of southeast policy and engagement, Lee Gatts at lgatts@nmma.org.

Trump Administration Partners with Rural Communities to Grow Outdoor

Recreation Economy

Last week, in support of the Trump administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America, the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service and the Northern Border Re-gional Commission (NBRC) announced the selection of 10 communities under the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities assistance program to help revi-talize their Main Streets through outdoor recreation.

“We are pleased to work with our federal partners to promote healthy outdoor activities and deliver on President Trump’s commitment to support and revi-talize rural communities,” said EPA Administrator An-drew Wheeler. “Together, we will develop strategies that rural communities can use to grow their econo-mies and make wise use of their natural resources.”

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“What better way to sustain our nation’s forests, grasslands and watersheds than through partner-ships that engage people directly in stewardship and foster community-driven economic opportunities,” said USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen.

“America’s Northern Border Region has some of the most beautiful and recreation-ready natural lands in the country. We’re thrilled to be part of this initiative, which aligns well with NBRC’s increased strategic in-terest in the outdoor recreation economy across our territory,” said Harold B. Parker, Federal Co-Chair of NBRC.

“We applaud this effort,” said Jessica Wahl, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) Executive Director. “ORR looks forward to working with the EPA, USDA and the Northern Border Regional Commission to help more communities invest in the recreation econ-omy and time spent outside.”

The 10 communities selected for assistance include: Cambridge, New York; Fryeburg, Maine; Giles County, Virginia; Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Gorham, New Hampshire; Grants, New Mexico; Jasper, Alabama; John Day, Oregon; Poultney, Vermont; and Thomp-son Falls, Montana. The selected communities are planning to revitalize their communities in a variety

of ways, including building new trail connections, boosting downtown amenities, connecting nearby hiking-biking trails to downtown, and working to at-tract recreation-related economic opportunities.

For more information, visit:  https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/recreation-economy-rural-communi-ties.

It’s Official: New Hampshire Joins the Growing List of States Establishing

Outdoor Recreation Offices

Governor Chris Sununu recently signed legislation establishing the Office of Outdoor Recreation Indus-try Development within the New Hampshire Depart-ment of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA), drawing praise from NMMA and its outdoor recreation indus-try coalition partners. This legislation formalizes the state’s commitment to the businesses, natural assets, and attractions that make up the outdoor recreation industry, which employs nearly 38,000 people in New Hampshire and accounts for 3.3 percent of the GDP.

“New Hampshire’s low tax environment and boom-ing economy are a beacon for business in the northeast,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “This of-fice will allow us to better leverage the tremen-

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Take Your Marina to the Next Level

The Marina Policy Guidelines Manual offers marina owners and managers a guide to implementing policies

that will professionalize the management of your marina.

Written by Carl Wolf CMM, CMI of Robson Forensic, the Manual provides policies covering administration,

marina operations, marketing, financial controls, and maintenance, as well as safety, security and

environmental issues. Purchase now.

News from Washington continued on Page 21

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dous outdoor recreation opportunities we have here in the Granite State to not only grow the in-dustry, but attract the workforce of the future.” The new office of Outdoor Recreation Industry De-velopment will be dedicated to connecting outdoor lifestyle to economic growth policies, making New Hampshire the 16th state to create an office or task-force focused on expanding outdoor recreation op-portunities.

The director position will be posted soon after BEA formally sets up the newly created office in Concord. Additional responsibilities will include coordinating policy, management and promotion at the local, state and federal levels and promoting job growth through collaborating with a variety of businesses and eco-nomic development partners throughout the state.

For more information, visit www.nheconomy.com or www.choosenh.com.

U.S. Senate Committee Advances Funding for Industry Priorities

Before Congress left Washington, D.C. for its two-week October recess, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed several measures that provide funding for key recreational boating industry’s pri-orities. The bills – which include programs that would promote and protect boating access and local econ-omies that depend on the industry – now head to the full Senate for consideration.

The spending bills contain funding for Everglades and Great Lakes restoration, marine sanctuaries projects, and additional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pro-grams. Securing funding for these initiatives has been a top NMMA priority, and the association appreciates the committee’s work to approve these critical fund-ing measures. Brief summaries of the specific provi-sions NMMA advocated for are below.

For more information, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA direc-tor of federal government relations, Clay Crabtree at ccrabtree@nmma.org.

Department of CommerceThe bill would provide $1.5 million for the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, which would continue the department’s analysis highlighting the impact that outdoor recreation has on the U.S. economy. Ad-ditionally, the bill provides $61.5 million for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, including $6 million for NOAA’s efforts to improve and enhance recreational anglers’ and boaters’ experiences in Na-tional Marine Sanctuaries.

Department of InteriorThe measure provides $301 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) – which would be a $1 million increase above the current level. GLRI is a critical program that works to protect and restore the Great Lakes through the prevention of aquatic invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and habitat restoration.

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersMost notably, the bill provides $200 million for Ev-erglades restoration. The committee also provided robust funding for many of the U.S. Army Corps’ projects that are critically important to recreational boaters: $23.9 million for navigation maintenance; $50 million for inland waterway modernization; and $54 million for projects at small or subsistence har-bors. Additionally, the bill directs the U.S. Army Corps to study alternative and recyclable solutions for dis-posal of dredged materials that can provide econom-ic and environmental benefits.

New Administration Effort Aims to Further Increase Availability of E15

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) an-nounced a new initiative to expand the use of biofuels like E15 across the country. In response, NMMA called the effort shortsighted, warning that more E15 in the marketplace will only compound problems consumers are currently facing at their local gas station.

The new proposal – which follows the administra-tion’s decision earlier this year to lift the summertime ban on E15 sales – seeks to pump more than 15 bil-

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lion gallons of ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply beginning in 2020. To help achieve this, one of the options the administration is considering is permit-ting retailers to use the same fuel tanks to store both E10 and E15 – a move that will create more challeng-es and confusion for America’s 141 million boaters.

While a final decision is pending, the administration’s action makes it clear that they are continuing to ex-plore ways to increase the volume of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply. NMMA will continue to monitor the situation and educate policymakers on the dan-gers of expanding the availability of E15.

For more information, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA direc-tor of federal government relations, Callie Hoyt at choyt@nmma.org.

Brunswick Joined by Governor DeSantis and Congressman Waltz for Opening of New Boat Development

Facility

Last week, Brunswick Boat Group officially opened its new, 45,000 square foot technology center in Edgewa-ter, Florida. Joining the Brunswick team and many dis-tinguished leaders in the community were Florida Gov-ernor Ron DeSantis and Congressman Michael Waltz. “We are changing the future of boating by bringing together the best engineering and design talent in a state-of-the-art facility to collaborate on advancing marine products and technology and integrating that technology to differentiate Brunswick boats,” said Huw Bower, Brunswick Boat Group president. “The Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center is another substantial step in executing our vision to define, cre-ate and embody the future of recreational boating.” The Technology Center will initially employ more than 160 people with a mission to engineer and launch innovative, industry-leading products for

Boston Whaler and Sea Ray. Additionally, this new center will also provide support to the entire Bruns-wick Boat Group portfolio. The Technology Center, which is located on the campus of Boston Whal-er’s global headquarters, will create jobs in the lo-cal community and provide Brunswick the oppor-tunity to attract top talent from around the world. “We have established a strong foundation of cross-functional and cross-brand initiatives over the past few years while also carefully preserving and enhanc-ing brand identity,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Cor-poration Chief Executive Officer. “And we continue to make investments that leverage the power and scale of our enterprise with centers of excellence like the Technology Center, the Boat Group Integrated Manu-facturing Center and our consolidated business units (Venture Group & Aluminum Boat Group). Through these initiatives, we are unlocking growth, productivity and efficiency opportunities across all our brands. We will continue to be the leader in integrating consum-er-centric new technology into our products; push-ing forward the boundaries of recreational boating.” . “The technology center is comprised of a group of high performing individuals with more than 1,500 years of combined experience, collaborating to el-evate our product to the next level,” said Lenn Scholz, Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center vice president. “We have been looking forward to the official opening of this facility so we can fully le-verage our entire organization and rely on the ex-perience of everyone on the team and the most ad-vanced technology center in the marine industry.” In addition to product development, the technology center will be focusing on new advances in technol-ogy including boat construction methods and mate-rials, electronic technologies, connectivity, autonomy and more; all working together to make boating bet-ter and easier.

See more about the technology center in these new videos:

• Technology Center Vision• Brunswick Careers

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400 Congressional Staffers Participate in Boating Industry Showcase Event

on Capitol Hill

Coinciding with Congress’s return from summer re-cess, NMMA hosted its inaugural boating industry showcase event on Capitol Hill late last month, pro-viding attendees with interactive boating experiences and insights into some of the latest innovations in marine products. The event – “Captains, Cocktails, and Canapés” – drew nearly 400 participants, includ-ing eight members of Congress, helping to bolster the association’s profile in Washington, D.C.

The event featured a line toss event provided by the Annapolis School of Seamanship and a virtual real-ity simulator from Chaparral Boats, allowing guests to design, drive, and discover many of their products. Also joining the event were members of the BoatPAC board who held meetings with members of Congress

earlier in the day to discuss trade, infrastructure, and conservation priorities.

“The //DRIVR virtual reality simulator is truly unique because the entire experience was developed within the boating industry,” said Ryan Swaims of Chapar-ral Boats. “Everything from the frame and seat to the software experience was designed and produced by our team.”

“This event gave NMMA a great opportunity to con-nect with lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill and highlight, in a fun and interactive way, the economic importance of boating to the U.S. economy,” said Ni-cole Vasilaros, NMMA senior vice president of gov-ernment and legal affairs. “We were elated to have nearly 400 attendees and be able to reach such a broad audience.”

NMMA thanks all stakeholders that contributed to the event’s success. The association is planning to make the boating industry showcase an annual staple

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on Capitol Hill and encourages additional members to participate in the years ahead.

If you have questions, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA man-ager of southeast policy and engagement, Lee Gatts at lgatts@nmma.org.

NMMA Urges Consideration of Recreation’s Economic Impact in

Water Infrastructure Package

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Com-mittee (EPW) kicked off development of the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reau-thorization last week, holding a hearing focused on how to improve American economic competitiveness through water resources infrastructure. While WRDA is largely geared towards commercial activity and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) flood control efforts, NMMA is working with key elected officials to include language in the bill that would ensure recreation’s economic impact is considered when determining which projects to prioritize.

WRDA is a significant legislative package that sets federal water resources infrastructure policy and pro-vides federal approval for civil works projects on our nation’s waterways and harbors. WRDA traditionally runs on a two-year reauthorization schedule and will be due for authorization in 2020. EPW and the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) are the committees of jurisdiction over water resources infrastructure issues and are tasked with developing WRDA reauthorizations.

Properly dredged federal channels are essential to providing critical access points for marinas and coast-al communities where businesses depend on marine recreation-based economic activity. However, due to antiquated procedures, recreation is not currently ac-counted for as an economic benefit when the ACOE and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) determine project prioritization, which NMMA is working to address in this legislation.

During last week’s EPW hearing, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) raised the point that the ACOE grades projects based on a calculation of benefits derived from reduced flood risk and increased commercial activity, while overlooking the benefits provided by recreational.

Senator Van Hollen acknowledged the importance of commercial activity, referencing the Port of Baltimore, but added, “There are also really important economic benefits from the recreational boating industry. For example, in Maryland, it’s a $3.5 billion industry. We have an example in Anne Arundel County, Maryland called The Rockhold Creek Channel, which is impor-tant for some commercial activity, but also mainly for recreational boating, which supports that community and the livelihood of the community.”

The 2014 silting of the Rockhold Creek Channel cre-ated unsafe conditions and restricted passage for rec-reational boaters. The local community’s request for the ACOE to dredge the channel was declined due to a lack of funding, resulting in a community-wide effort that raised nearly $350,000 dollars to fund the project.

This is a reoccurring situation in recreation-based wa-terways and harbors across the country, and NMMA believes it’s shortsighted to expect local communities to fund maintenance of federal infrastructure assets. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Great Lakes region and across the west coast, the $170 billion recreational boating industry is a significant economic engine that relies on safe, navigable waterways. Unless this broken funding system is fixed, these crucial economic contri-butions that countless communities across the country need to survive could be in jeopardy.

As Congress continues debating WRDA, NMMA is calling on policymakers to incorporate language into the legislation that accounts for outdoor recreation – an industry recognized by the Bureau of Economic Analysis as a significant economic driver, growing faster than the overall U.S. economy.

For more information, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org or NMMA direc-tor of federal government relations, Callie Hoyt at choyt@nmma.org.

www.MarinaAssociation.org

AMI Contact Information

Kayce Cashill-FlorioInternational Marina and Boatyard Conference (IMBC)

(401) 682-7334imbc@marinaassociation.org

Eric KretschLegislative and Outreach Coordinator

(202) 350-9623ekretsch@marinaassociation.org

Merritt AlvesInternational Marina Institute (IMI)

Education & Training Programs(401) 247-0314

imitraining@marinaassociation.org

Merritt AlvesAMI Membership Coordinator

Phone: (866) 367-6622Fax: (401) 247-0074

malves@marinaassociation.org

AMI50 Water Street

Warren, RI 02885www.marinaassociation.org

Toll free: (866) 367-6622