Washington bans copper-based anti fouling paint

[Fstbttms]

From today's 'Lectronic Latitiude

Washington Bans Copper Bottom Paint

May 11, 2011 – Olympia, WA
On May 4, Washington governor Chris Gregoire sounded the death knell for copper-based bottom paint in her state by signing into law a ban on the use of the product on recreational boats under 65 feet — the first state to do so. The law prohibits the sale of new boats with copper paint after January 1, 2018, and no paint with more than a half a percent of copper can be used starting in 2020.
California is close on our northern neighbor's heels with Senate Bill 623, which would put into place a similar ban. On May 2, the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality approved the ban and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration. If made into law, the legislation would ban the sale of new boats with copper paint as of January 1, 2015, and ban the paint outright starting in 2019.

We've had three different Econea-based test paints on the bottom of our boat over the last few years, and all have performed as well as or better than the 67% copper control paint.
Photo Latitude / LaDonna
© 2011 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.

For what it's worth, paint companies have made huge strides in developing alternatives to copper — we've been very satisfied with the Econea-based test paints that have been on our boat's bottom for the last few years — but Boat U.S. has expressed concern that, since the ban applies only to rec boats and not commercial or military vessels, it "may not provide a large enough market to stimulate research and development on alternative coatings."

- latitude

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2011-05-11&dayid=581#Story4

[arf145]

I've followed the discussion of this over on Sailboatowners. Commercial vessels being exempt does smell of them going for the easy recreational target. Then again, looks like the new Econea stuff is decent, and no doubt others will come along. Probably not the end of the world--maybe a little improvement of it, in fact.

[PalmettoSailor]

Ok, let's grant that Econea works.

What does it cost?

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by midlifesailor

Ok, let's grant that Econea works.

What does it cost?

I haven't a clue, but here are some links to products available now:

http://www.epaint.com/products/21
http://www.epaint.com/products/7
http://www.epaint.com/products/5
http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/products/antifouling/pacifica-plus.aspx
http://www.pettitpaint.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=172
http://www.pettitpaint.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=227
http://www.seahawkpaints.com/Our-Products/Product/Smart-Solution.aspx
http://www.seahawkpaints.com/Our-Products/Product/Mission-Bay-CSF.aspx
http://www.seahawkpaints.com/Our-Products/Product/Mission-Bay.aspx

[MarkSF]

Shouldn't the headline be "Washington will ban it in 8 years time"?

[blt2ski]

Like all things great and small like this, we (the voted in legislature) vote to ban a product that will take time to remove and get rid of now, so manufactures have the ability to start to make a product that meets spec. You see this in the auto biz with smog regs, or ANY fuel type motor for that matter, the lawn mowers. blowers etc I use for my landscape biz have to meet a noise a pollution spec. I could find other examples too.

There was a non profit that "letter bombed" a few yards a number of years back due to NOT following some government regulated discharge, BUT, the government regulating agency did not know how, or have a "HOW" one is to follow the spec, and were working with industry reps to work thru the issues so it would work, and be cost effective. BUT< the "puget sound protection alliance or some such non profit, decided to take matters into there own hands, and letter bombed some yards, ie sued them from the Dept of ecology stanpoint, of they were not doing what they were supposed to do. Reality is, the non profit took more heat than the yards did. In the mean time, I am sure this bill was put forth in our legislature to deal with keeping this non profit from letter bombing the yards and equal again.

We already can not legally scrub the bottom of boats with ablative paint in water, we can with hard paint. We do seem to have some more onerous rules than other areas of the world if you will.

I am not going to say I agree or disagree, but will live with the rule.

Marty

[poopdeckpappy]

Add California to the list, Senate Bill 623 bans the sell of boats with coppered a/f paints by 2015 and their use on Rec. vessels by 2019