November 2001 NC Marine TradeWinds Newsletter
SBTDC Marine Trades Services Receives $175,000 Funding for Industry
New Boat Builders Division in North Carolina Manufacturers Association
SBTDC
Marine Trades Services Receives $175,000 Funding for Industry
Our NC Marine Trades Services program has
received a $175,000 award from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The mission of the
Golden LEAF foundation is to support organizations that promote the social
welfare of North Carolina's citizens and to receive and distribute funds to
lessen the economic impact of changes in our tobacco economy.
The funding will allow us to market and promote North
Carolina marine products and services across the state and around the nation,
and help recruit maritime businesses to the state. A significant portion of this
award will go into efforts to keep existing jobs, and promote the growth of new
jobs and businesses in and for our industry – especially in rural counties.
One key component of this effort is a
major “retooling” of www.NCWaterways.com.
This maritime website will be developed over the next several months to serve
all NC marine businesses and their potential and existing customers. North
Carolina boats, services, and marine products can be located on the site by
searching for the product, service, the regional location of the company, or the
name of the NC company. This web component is functional now and found under the
tab – “Locate NC Marine Businesses”. It offers the option to add new
businesses or make corrections to existing business information. See the “About
Us” and the “focus-tabs” on the website to learn other services planned
for the website.
The second component of this project will
be promotion of North Carolina (1) as a boating destination – geared for the
transient boater of both coastal and inland waters, (2) as a maritime business
destination – encouraging relocation of businesses providing marine
products/services, and businesses selling products/services to the marine
sector, and (3) as a state with extensive business development services focused
on the marine industry.
New
Boat Builders Division in North Carolina Manufacturers Association
The Raleigh based NC Manufacturers
Association (NCMA) met at their annual meeting and established the Boat
Builders Division (BBD) within the Association. At the same meeting, NCMA
board of directors elected James M. Bell as Executive Vice President of the
association. Bell has served as General Counsel for the NCMA since 1988 and is a
former and established lobbyist for the National Marine Manufacturers
Association. This organization can provide lobbying on behalf of the builder –
a service not available through our NC Marine Trade Association.
An initial seven companies joined the BBD
and 14 boat company principals have signed up for a lunch meeting in New Bern on
Wednesday, January 9th 2002 New and prospective members are welcomed to this
event. Attendees signed up for the meeting include representatives from the
smallest to the largest boat builder in the state. To be included, call Jim Bell
at the NCMA office in Raleigh, (919) 782-8416 before December 9th.
Fiberglass
Boat Builders Requirements for MACT
North Carolina fiberglass builders that
are major sources of hazardous air pollutants (10 tons or more of a single toxic
per year) are required required
by MACT (maximum achievable control technology) standards to send a
letter of notification to the state air permitting agency and the US-EPA.
According to NMMA’s John McKnight (202/861-1180 ext 1604), businesses are
required by federal law to provide this letter by December 20, 2001. The
letter must include plant specifics information as sited in 40 CFR Part 63.9 (b)
(2). Go to www.nmma.org/news/news.asp?id=72
to
see a summary or to
see example
letters, go to www.nmma.org/government/environmental/mact/notification.asp.
To read a reasonably coherent two-page
overview of the requirements, download EPA’s “Plain English brochure to the Boat
Manufacturing MACT”, by going to www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/boat/brochpdf.zip.
To view the EPA boat building air toxics information page, go to www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/boat/boatpg.html.
North
Carolina MACT Workshop in January
The EPA has scheduled a MACT workshop for boat
builders on January 17, 2002 in the Raleigh/RTP area and at the IBEX conference
in Ft. Lauderdale on February 8th, 2002. To obtain the registration
form for these workshops, go to www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/boat/register.pdf
and download the file. Also find it under Regulations on our NCMTA webpage, www.NCMTA.com.
Marina
and Boat Builder’s Survey Response
We need to hear from each business sent
the survey. If we don’t hear from the majority of businesses, we simply won’t
have a true representation of the enormous economic impact of our industry. When
we under represent the industry, we cut into your political clout. Take the time
to complete the surveys that you received last month. With these numbers we will
be better able to work on your behalf to create better rules and standards, to
supply loan package information to lenders, and to give an overview of North
Carolina on a national level to attract more customers and businesses to this
area. The survey is short and easy and can be completed anonymously. We need
your help to make this work. If you misplaced it, contact Wendy Larimer.
Our Marine Trades Services program has
been contracted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to create
a Best Management Practices Manual for NC Marinas. Wendy Larimer, UNCW
Wilmington office, is the principal contact. This BMP manual will be your one
stop source for technical and educational material on how to reduce boat related
pollution at your marina or boatyard. If you have suggestions, comments or
critiques to offer call 910/962-3351 or email Wlarimer@SBTDC.org.
It’s not too late to sign up for Marine
EXPO in Charleston, December 11-13. With the support of NC and
SC marine associations, Sea Grant, and several sponsors, this year’s event
will feature dynamic speakers, including by a keynote luncheon talk by Thom
Dammrich, valuable seminars and plenty of networking activities.
Interested in how your facility fits into the overall
community waterfront? Attend Recreational Marine Industries and Coastal
Communities seminar. ▬Have you heard complaints that the water near
your facility is too shallow, or that some boaters are a danger on the water?
Come to Current Boating Access and Education Issues. ▬The
continuing complaint that there are no available skilled workers will be
addressed in Marine Industry Trade Training: Public and Industry Approaches.
▬Worried about liability and insurance at your facility? Attend Marina
and Boatyard Liability and Rights Under Maritime Law and Insurance. ▬You
can also learn regional rules and guidelines for sales and property taxes on
marine products in the Marine Product Taxation seminar. Learn how to take
advantage of Boating Infrastructure Grants during Boating Infrastructure
Grants: Outcome, Opportunities and Outlook.
And finally the conference will be summed up with strategies for the
industry made during Conference Summary and Strategy Development. For a
complete list of events and to register go to www.NCMTA.com
and click on EXPO or call Jamie O’Brien with SCMA at 843/795-7858.
While it sounds like the latest sci-fi thriller, this
is no Hollywood creation. Giant Salvina is becoming a severe threat to
water-related industries. The weed, first discovered in 1995, is now found in 12
southern tier states including North Carolina. Able to double the area it covers
in less than a week and reaching a thickness of up to 3-feet, the weed can
easily cover water bodies, killing everything that lives beneath the surface.
Effective removal methods have not been found since Salvina can grow from
the smallest living portion, and dense areas of it weigh about 36 tons per acre.
The answer seems to be preventing it from spreading further. To do this boaters
must clean their boats of mud and plants before they leave boat ramps or
otherwise transfer their boats from one water source to another. Those in the
boating industry need to alert boaters of this problem and be conscious of
preventative measures to combat any further spreading. Information from Boating Industry International Online
Register
Your NC Business-Related ICW/AIWW Concerns and Complaints
The authorized project depth of the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway (AIWW) is 12 feet (at low tide) from Norfolk, VA to Ft. Pierce, FL. If
your business is being negatively impacted by less than adequate boating
conditions along the NC AIWW, please provide Mike Bradley or Wendy Larimer with
specifics, as they will report on these conditions at two separate
meetings/hearings over the next two months. To be of most help, use the
following form to report the information, www.atlintracoastal.org/user.htm,
and then provide the same information to us by copying the form and sending by
email Mbradley@SBTDC.org
or fax (252) 728-6988.