Politics Not Healthcare but Coast Guard
We’re still hoping for a sensible decision to be made about the previous US Coast Guard rulings introduced to us last fall.
Published March 19 2010
Klobuchar pushes U.S. Coast Guard for fishing guide rule change
President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Coast Guard got a boatful of advice Thursday from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., on new regulations facing fishing guides.
By: Brad Swenson,
President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Coast Guard got a boatful of advice Thursday from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., on new regulations facing fishing guides.
Vice Adm. Robert Papp Jr., Obama’s choice to be commandant of the Coast Guard, had his confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s panel which oversees the Coast Guard.
At issue is a newly promulgated rule that now requires small charter boat captains, including fishing guides, to obtain training and a special Coast Guard license. The Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels license, commonly called the “six-pack” license, is now required of those operating vessels that carry no more than six passengers for hire. Also part of the process is a background check and security screening and taking a test to prove proficiency in navigation and safety.
Opponents say the new requirement is onerous to inland guides, such as Lake of the Woods charter boat captains, or fishing guides on
“I pushed on him about the Coast Guard licensing regulation,” Klobuchar said Thursday in a telephone interview. “I heard that time and time again when I was in northern
Klobuchar said she had an “interesting exchange” with Papp, finding out that he was aware of the issue and that he was familiar with
“I didn’t know that he had worked significantly in
To obtain one of the new licenses, boat operators must attend dozens of hours of classroom work and pay $1,200 to $1,500, opponents say. For small fishing boat operators in northern
“He assured me that he would work on this in a sensible way, understanding that it would be very expensive if we didn’t,” Klobuchar said.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Holsten and a ranking Coast Guard officer from its Region 9 in
She noted that U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, DFL-8th District, has also been working on the issue.
Sport and recreation fishing contributes roughly $2.8 billion to
Klobuchar wasn’t overly optimistic, but said that Papp “pledged to me they would be sensible in how they looked at this and how they enforce them, and they would try to find a way to ensure safety and also show common sense in requiring this much money and this much licensing.”
The U.S. Coast Guard is under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the new rules were seen as a way to tighten up who can operate vessels with small numbers of passengers, a rule especially geared for the southern coasts.
“We’ll see what happens,” she said. “He pledged to me that they would work on a sensible solution.”
The
Also continuing is a Minnesota Senate resolution authored by Sen. Mary Olson, DFL-Bemidji, which asks Congress to take action to block the licensing regulation on small inland boat operators.
Her bill is currently in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, the last stop before reaching the Senate floor.
The legislation asks Congress to “speedily enact legislation” requiring the Coast Guard to “develop licensing appropriate to smaller vessels operating on inland waters and to establish interim enforcement that addresses safety issues without penalizing small vessel operators for issues that do not relate to inland lakes.”
The resolution notes that there are 500 guides who take anglers on inland navigable waters and hundreds of resorts and businesses that offer casual boat and pontoon rides to their guests.
“,,, the six-pack license was not designed for most inland lakes or rivers nor for small vessels such as 16- to 20-foot outboard boats,” the resolution states.
A House companion, authored by Rep. David Dill,