[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 157 (Wednesday, October 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF AMERICA'S WATERWAY WATCH PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CANDICE S. MILLER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2007

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
this resolution and I want to commend Mr. Bilirakis for drawing 
attention to this important program.
  The attacks of 9/11 made every citizen mindful of the need for 
constant vigilance to protect our country from the threat of terrorism. 
Keeping America safe requires the efforts of every American.
  The openness of our Nation's waterways and harbors prevents 
opportunities for terrorists to exploit. The U.S. Coast Guard works 
very hard to ensure the safety of these areas, and they do a tremendous 
job for which we are all very grateful.
  However, recreational boaters also have an important role to play in 
this area, and America's Waterway Watch program works hard to teach 
recreational boaters about what they can do to protect our homeland. 
Boaters provide critical eyes and ears in watching over our,coasts, our 
ports, and other important infrastructure like bridges and tunnels.
  Specifically, participants in the campaign are requested to report: 
Individuals engaged in irregular activity such as surveillance or 
unusual boating operations; unattended vessels in strange locations; 
lights flashing between boats; unusual activity near bridges, 
overpasses, industrial facilities, or fuel docks.
  In Michigan this program has been particularly important. My home 
state has over 3,000 miles of shoreline--more than any other state 
except Alaska--which presents an incredible challenge for our 
government agencies to patrol. And of course we share much of this 
water with Canada which enables people to come across into the United 
States very easily. And in some places this liquid border is quite 
narrow--such as the St. Clair or Detroit Rivers. So we really have to 
rely on our boaters to keep their eyes on things.
  In Michigan, we have more than 900,000 boats registered in our state, 
which makes us the number 1 state for per capita boat ownership, and 
3rd overall behind Florida and California. Boating is an important part 
of life in the Great Lakes State.
  In 2005, state officials began a campaign to notify our state's 
boaters of this Waterway Watch program. Working with the Coast Guard 
and the Michigan Boating Industries Association, Michigan sent out a 
brochure on this program with each watercraft registration renewal 
notice. Since 2007 was the 3rd year this was done, we have now reached 
nearly all of our state's boaters with information about the Waterway 
Watch program.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this program, I 
strongly support the resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do the 
same.

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