shueman
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Posted: May 05 2005,12:19 pm |
Post # 1 |
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Lake Mead praised for watercraft plan
Interior official tells House panel that the park is only one phasing in cleaner engines
By TONY BATT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Lake Mead is steps ahead of other national recreation areas in requiring cleaner engines for Jet Skis and other personal watercraft, an Interior Department official told a House panel Wednesday.
By 2013, watercraft engines on Lake Mead must be powered by four-stroke engines instead of two-stroke engines, according to the lake's management plan.
Two-stroke engines leak more unburned fuel, causing more water pollution than four-stroke engines.
"Only one park has phased in four-strokes only, and that's Lake Mead," Paul Hoffman, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, told the House Resources subcommittee on national parks.
Hoffman, representatives of the recreational industry and environmentalists testified at the hearing, the second in a series on increasing access to the national park system.
Dan Boyle, owner of Pro Shop Motorsports and Marine in Henderson, said in a phone interview that the new engine requirements may surprise boat owners who frequent Lake Mead. He said boats with outboard motors were dirtier than Jet Skis.
"The personal watercraft community is very aware of the requirements, and some already have bought the machinery they will need," Boyle said. "But I think the boating community may be caught off guard."
Sean Smith, public lands director of the Bluewater Network, an environmental group, told the subcommittee that Jet Skis should not be allowed in every national park.
"The Park Service did make a sound decision to eliminate Jet Ski use from most park units and hopefully will continue on that path," he said.
The Bluewater Network threatened to sue the National Park Service two years ago when the federal agency decided to allow personal watercraft on all but a small fraction of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave.
But Smith did not mention the lawsuit Wednesday, and calls to Bluewater's offices in San Francisco were not returned.
In 2002, the Park Service announced plans to ban personal watercraft from Lake Mead until a new lake management plan was completed. This prompted a lawsuit by Boyle and other watercraft businesses and owners against the agency.
The lawsuit was settled in 2003 when the National Park Service agreed to allow personal watercraft on Lake Mead while the lake management plan was being formulated.
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