Texas MSD Certification

[Sailmonkey]

We just received our monthly bill from the marina, included with it is a notice that the TCEQ is now requiring MSD "certification". Lo and behold this "certification" is form that is requesting information and money.......no test, no inspection, nothing other than information (that the state already has) and money.
I don't know why this rubs me the wrong way, but it does.
the form
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/pub...misc/00117.pdf

[boasun]

The form didn't say what the so called Fees (another form of Taxation) are. To me it is another money grubbing scheme by politicans. This is being done to a very small polulation of Texas, Thus they figure that the screams of outrage won't be very loud at all.

[Captain Bill]

To find out about the fees you actually have to look at the law. It appears that the fee will be $15 every 2 years. SailMonkey has it right, this seems to be a revenue generating effort as the money will go into the budget of the managing department which does not appear to be obliged to actually do anything with the money. Interestingly it appears that the Texas law redefines any greywater coming out of the galley as sewage and prohibiting any discharge into Texas waters. It is not clear how this rule will be enforced, especially on non-Texas based vessels or what the penalties will be for noncompliance. The laws gives the departments the right to do determine how this will be done. Sounds a bit like the double secret probation in Animal House.

[Sailmonkey]

What I'm waiting for is the boarding. I for one won't be displaying the decal (as I won't have one). But if they're considering greywater sewage discharge and put dye tabs in the galley sink..............
Mind you I have a holding tank, and have no problem doing my part and carting the pump out dohicky around the dock, but this isn't a certification.

[Kettlewell]

Rhode Island requires you to have your MSD inspected and recertified every four years at a cost of $35, and you get a whopping huge ugly sticker plastered on the back end of your boat (a lot of them are slapped on crooked by the inspector, just to add to the "look").

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Rhode Island requires you to have your MSD inspected and recertified every four years at a cost of $35, and you get a whopping huge ugly sticker plastered on the back end of your boat (a lot of them are slapped on crooked by the inspector, just to add to the "look").

It would be one thing if they were planning an inspection, but there is no inspection involved, just a form and sending them you credit card. Notice that you have to get special permission to use money. It's not clear what the double secret rules are but you can be assured if there's a fine involved you'll find out. I think I won't be doing any cruising to Texas. I really wasn't planning on going there anyway, but this is a little more incentive to go the other way.

[David M]

It's a tax. The only thing you can do is to not vote for incumbents at the ballot box. Keep churning the politicians out of office until they get it. That's the only power we have...and they know it.

[Captain Bill]

A few years ago the EPA was going to require every boat to get a discharge permit from the EPA as part of the cleanwater act. Boaters put pressure on congress and got an exemption passed for recreational boaters. I did a little research on the Rhode Island and Texas laws. I can't help but wonder if the feds got the states to back door this requirement when they lost at the federal level. I guess we'll see if a lot of other states start pulling this kind of thing.

[Unicorn Dreams]

If they want me to be certified, TPW can spend their own nickel and inspect me at their cost and certify me for free.
I am 100% compliant for all waters, Electrasan, holding tank, Y-valves, etc.
I've spent enough being compliant without having to pay an extra tax just for being complant.

[bstreep]

http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/pub...dflib/321a.pdf

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Unicorn Dreams

If they want me to be certified, TPW can spend their own nickel and inspect me at their cost and certify me for free.
I am 100% compliant for all waters, Electrasan, holding tank, Y-valves, etc.
I've spent enough being compliant without having to pay an extra tax just for being complant.

At least if they're inspecting the "certification" means something. Otherwise you could mark the type III box, get the sticker and be "certified"
But I'm with you, I think at the time of the head re-model I was into it for close to $1500 to be new and compliant.

[bstreep]

I'm just AMAZED that this hasn't come up before! I mean, we are in a large, "Certified Clean" marina, and belong to a yacht club full of in-the-water boats, and NONE of us had heard of this!

Like as said above, it would be different IF there was actually some inspection - but there isn't! I see it as 2 fold: 1) another tax on boats and 2) the lack of a sticker a legal justification for an inspection.

[Kettlewell]

I hate to be so cynical, but I think in RI it was largely a make-work move for harbormasters who are probably the majority of certified inspectors, and it had the alternate motive of giving authorities an excuse to pull over boats without stickers and ticket them or else inspect for other violations like lack of registration. The harbormaster who inspected my boat certainly did not know the letter of the law based on what he told me and basically forced me to have my boat inspected when it was not required as I was documented out of state and within the grace period. However, he said he would not let me stay in the harbor if I did not get inspected and as I was on a friend's mooring for a few weeks I didn't want to cause waves.

[RainDog]

I would support this IF the revenue was used to build pump out stations. Most boats on Galveston Bay seem to dump their sewage directly into the water (x 10,000 boats on a small, 5 foot deep lake). If pump-out stations were more plentiful, I think more people might use them.

Somehow I doubt they will use this money for anything related to MSDs.

[Sailmonkey]

We've got a pumpout station and a dock-cart poo tank thinghy at the marina, and I seriously doubt the TCEQ has anything to do with it.