When Politics Outweigh Common Sense

[FloatnFly]

what the hell California, get your heads on straight!

 

http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/stories/post/fishing-tackle-ban-movement-in-california?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=050415&utm_content=news

 

 

Sacramento, Cali. – The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced that common fishing tackle would remain on a list of consumer products marked to undergo a costly and onerous regulatory process, a reckless move that could lead to a ban on most of today’s fishing tackle and will likely accelerate the decline in fishing participation, threaten jobs and reduce state revenue. DTSC admitted in public hearings that it has no scientific studies demonstrating that lead poses an environmental problem in California. Yet, as evidenced its decision today, DTSC has declared fishing gear to be one of the top seven most significant threats to health faced by Californians and its environment.

“State regulators failed to comply with state law that requires them to conduct an independent analysis before including any product in this regulatory process. The inclusion of fishing tackle will likely harm recreational fishing and the jobs that depend on it,” said David Dickerson, President of the California Sportfishing League. “It appears that politics, rather than science, was the basis for DTSC’s decision. While there are many sources of pollution that pose a serious threat to California’s ocean and streams, anglers are not among them.”

In 2010, the U.S. EPA ruled that lead weights do not pose an unreasonable risk to wildlife and this past December, President Barack Obama signed a budget bill that prohibits the use of federal dollars to ban lead fishing weights.

As revealed in a study recently released by CSL, high costs and unwarranted limitations on fishing have contributed to a major decline in California’s fishing participation rate. While California has one the Nation’s longest coastlines, over 4,000 lakes and reservoirs, 20,000 registered ponds and thousands of miles of streams, the State ranks dead last in the United States for fishing participation. Since 1980, annual fishing license sales have declined by over 55 percent, while California’s population has increased by nearly 60 percent to over 37 million people. If this trend continues, the number of fishing licenses is expected to drop below 500,000 or another 47 percent.

“The high cost of fishing licenses and unwarranted limits on fishing have contributed to a significant decline in participation,” said Dickerson. “Increasing the cost of gear and potential bans will only accelerate the decline, and threaten California jobs that are dependent on outdoor recreation and tourism.”

Experts believe regulations that could follow the DTSC’s assessment will be extremely costly and may encourage manufactures to flee the California market. “

The proposed regulations will increase the likelihood that manufacturers, sellers and retailers of fishing weights and gear will be subjected to costly and onerous regulations, and potential fines,” wrote Maureen Gorsen, an environmental attorney at Alston & Bird LLP and former director of DTSC, in a legal memo. “The result could be a wide range of enforcement options requiring restrictions or bans on sale, product reformulation, additional environmental impact studies, development of disposal programs or funding for fundamental research and development. The bottom line is that the cost of manufacturing fishing gear will increase significantly and these costs will be passed on to consumers.”

BACKGROUND

Anglers can express their objections to new fishing tackle regulations or a potential ban by signing an online petition found on CSL’s website and Facebook page. To date, over 1,900 California anglers have signed the petition.

The Green Chemistry Initiative, under which the DTSC is authorized to regulate potentially dangerous toxins, was established by the State Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 to depoliticize the process by which individual products and chemicals were regulated. The law requires DTSC to conduct independent, California specific analysis prior to listing a product for potential regulation. During its September 29, 2014, workshop in Cypress, DTSC officials repeatedly stated that it had not, and would not, conduct required scientific analysis.

Requiring non-lead fishing tackle could require significant and costly changes for the fishing industry. Depending on the alternative metal and current prevailing raw material costs, the cost of fishing gear could increase 10- to 20-fold.

When the Department’s draft Priority Product Work Plan was first released in September, CSL led efforts to have fishing gear removed from the document. The California Chamber of Commerce, the California Travel Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, the California Parks Hospitality Association, the California Association for Recreational Fishing, the American Sportfishing Association, Coastside Fishing Club and hundreds of individual anglers all submitted letters in favor of delisting fishing gear.

Recreational fishing contributes over $4.9 billion annually to California’s economy, a major source of outdoor recreation, tourism and jobs.

The California Sportfishing League is a nonprofit coalition of fresh and saltwater anglers, and small business owners devoted to protecting access to recreational fishing, and the leading opponent of additional fishing tackle regulations. To learn more about the threats to recreational fishing visit the “Government Watch” page at www.SportfishingConservation.org.

[Fisherman]

I don't every expect to move there or even remotely consider the thought of taking a holiday there. We have enough idiots up here in our own governments to amuse me with incurring the cost of travel.

[DRIFTER_016]

Kalifornia is a crap hole and with any luck it will slide into the sea in short order!!!

I would never want to live in the nanny state.

They are also trying to an end around the second amendment by trying to ban bullets because they can't ban guns.

[Sinker]

politics and common sense should never be in the same sentence.

 

S.

[bigugli]

Only in the land of dope and rose coloured glasses.

[netminder]

I don't think it will spell the end-times if you're forced to stop using lead split-shot. There really is no "safe" level of lead exposure either. But the thing is, it's not an end user issue, except here. Lead is banned in electronics because it makes for unsafe work environments (ever wonder why electronics fail and overheat more often now?)

[FloatnFly]

and they wonder why so many people arent fishing

[Mister G]

Kalifornia is a crap hole and with any luck it will slide into the sea in short order!!!

I would never want to live in the nanny state.

They are also trying to an end around the second amendment by trying to ban bullets because they can't ban guns.

Kalifornia is better known as the state with the most fruits and nuts.....nanny state....Ontario is not that far behind BTW.

 

Ever notice on some packaging that it says's Kalifornia has determined this product can be cancer causing.......just another reason not to go to that state because everywhere else that product is safe to use.....LOL

[Mister G]

and they wonder why so many people arent fishing

I only wish that was true.

[FloatnFly]

I only wish that was true.

 

 

meaning in Cali, not here. only 500,000 licenses issued in the last year, with a population of over 38million, and the license sales are on the drop

[Mister G]

 

 

meaning in Cali, not here. only 500,000 licenses issued in the last year, with a population of over 38million, and the license sales are on the drop

As in Ontario and Kali there is a huge difference between licenses sold and how many are fishing (think illegally).

[FloatnFly]

As in Ontario and Kali there is a huge difference between licenses sold and how many are fishing (think illegally).

 

 

yea but im not trying to compare unlicensed fisherman since there is no documentation on that, all you do is compare the number of licenses sold, for a province thats a 1/3 of the size of Cali, and probably close to triple the number of licenses sold

[mosquito]

Give Ontario time..... it is trying to copy California in debt, carbon taxes and I am sure the list will go on with Wynne having no original thought or solution just copying failed ones they like.

 

Ontario confirms it will join Quebec, California in carbon market

http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCAKBN0N41X220150413

 

 

Wynne’s green scheme could deal massive blow to Ontario and Canada

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/wynnes-green-scheme-could-deal-massive-blow-to-ontario-and-canada/article24233437/

Edited May 9, 2015 by mosquito

[Paudash]

I would take California's over Ontario's any time, we have 10 times more debit per person then us. They only care care more than us about it

 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/comparing-the-debt-burdens-of-ontario-and-california.pdf

[limeyangler]

I would take California's over Ontario's any time, we have 10 times more debit per person then us. They only care care more than us about it

 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/comparing-the-debt-burdens-of-ontario-and-california.pdf

 

aaaaah…the good 'ole impartial, objective Fraser Institute.

[Mister G]

I would take California's over Ontario's any time, we have 10 times more debit per person then us. They only care care more than us about it

 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/comparing-the-debt-burdens-of-ontario-and-california.pdf

Please re-post this in English.

[limeyangler]

I will get thrown in the stocks and have lead fishing weights thrown at me for this…but here goes……..

 

When are any of these so called 'environmental issues' not political???

 

The article states "In 2010, the U.S. EPA ruled that lead weights do not pose an unreasonable risk to wildlife"

 

LOLOL…like the EPA decisions are non political…….KEYSTONE PIPELINE ANYONE???!!!!!!

 

All I know is lead is toxic.

 

I have often wondered when this would become an issue here in Northwestern Ontario. I always lose a few jigs when I go fishing, all my jigs are lead. Times that by 100 years and the amount of tourists and locals that fish my lake…..THAT IS A LOT OF LEAD. Someone posted a picture the other day of a tackle bonanza of tangled jigs…a good few pounds of toxic lead there too.

 

Just saying.