193 



USPS has controlled numbers of non-motorized rivercraft for almost two decades, but has 

 exercised little, if any, control over the number and use of motorized rivercraft. 



If motorized, and more specifically, jet rivercraft use were not an issue, this bill would 

 not be before this committee and none of us would be here today. The fact of the matter 

 is that, in recent years, motorized rivercraft use within the NRA has risen dramatically. 

 And we are no longer talking about modestly powered craft carrying a family outing. 

 What we are seeing are bigger boats carrying commercial passengers, using larger, more 

 powerful and louder engines. Indeed, it is not uncommon to have up to 100 jet boats on 

 the river in a given day, some of which are 40 feet in length being pushed by 900 

 horsepower engines. 



Issues and Comments on H.R. 2568 



H.R. 2568 states that non-motorized and motorized rivercraft "shall not be considered to 

 be in conflict." This is a fallacy— there is inherent conflict. Worse, the bill attempts to 

 supersede a public process conducted by the USPS in compliance and accordance with 

 the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Specifically, the bill ignores the 

 recommendations and conclusions of the HCNRA Management Plan—an effort that cost 

 the taxpayer's over $1 million and took over eight years to complete-and grandfathers 

 current unrestricted motorized rivercraft use levels as a statutory minimum. 



H.R. 2568 is not only a terrible action in the HCNRA, it also is a terrible precedent for 

 the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It imdermines the ability of federal agencies to study 

 and plan, through an open public process, the appropriate use of our Wild and Scenic 

 Rivers. It compromises the ecology of the river and surrounding environs, the safety of 

 everyone using the river, and the natural quiet of the NRA. 



