Article: Congress prepares to slap restrictions on personal watercraft Environmentalists, boaters, shore dwellers push for new laws

The screeching noises of personal watercraft are hitting the ears of Washington's lawmakers and bureaucrats, who are preparing new laws and regulations to beach the machines.

Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), chairman of the House Resources Committee's subcommittee on conservation, says personal watercraft -- often called Jet Skis, after a popular brand -- are chewing up the kelp beds and other wild grasses in shallow estuaries and bays in his state, and he is pushing for new rules restricting their use in shallow waters. The rules would be part of a new federal law governing use of coastal properties that the House will consider later this year.

The National Park Service is preparing a more ...

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