Maine has proposed a statewide no-discharge zone within the federal limit of three miles from shore. The legislation would require yacht clubs and marinas to provide pump-out stations to boaters by 2005. The bill, sponsored by state senator John Nutting, is one that holds owners responsible for disposing of waste properly, although Nutting admitted it would be an inconvenience to boaters and marina operators. The bill follows a 1984 state law requiring all marinas with more than 18 slips to provide pumpout service by 1990.

Nutting noted that less than 40 of the state?s 300 marinas and yacht club were compliant with the1984 ruling. According to the Portland Press Herald, the state has never penalized a marina for failing to provide the service. Susan Stanton, the director of the Maine Marine Trades Association, said marina owners discourage overboardwaste disposal and want to protect the oceans, though she questioned the law?s economic impact and how it would be enforced.