SACRAMENTO, Calif. —The California State Senate has passed a bill that could ban the use of copper-based paints on recreational boats. Military and commercial boats would be exempt.
The bill was passed on a party line vote, with 25 democrats in favor and 13 republicans against. The bill now goes to the state assembly.
The bill, Senate Bill 623, would prohibit boat manufacturers from selling vessels with copper-based hull paint after 2014 and would ban individual boat owners from applying it after 2018.
The purpose of the ban is to prevent water pollution. Boating organizations are taking issue with the bill. Recreational Boaters of California is opposed to the bill, as is BoatUS. The groups say that there are few effective, low-cost alternatives and that recreational boaters are unfairly singled out, according to an article in The Log Newspaper.
To read the full story, go to: Copper-Based Boat Paint Ban Passes State Senate
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