Petition to Ban Lead Denied

[tj06sti]

Thought this would be of good news and interest to some. I wrote to my Senators and Congressman after getting an alert from keepamericafishing.org and I got a response from one of them:

Dear Mr. Sittner,



Thank you for contacting me with respect to the "urban myth" about the Environmental Protection Agency banning lead ammunition and fishing lures. I appreciate your interest in this issue, and your views are important to me.

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, citizens can petition the EPA to ban dangerous substances. An environmental group did petition EPA to ban lead-based ammunition. The EPA denied that petition August 27, 2010. A copy of that announcement can be found online at www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/sect21.html. I will continue to monitor this issue and will keep your thoughts in mind.


Once again, thank you for expressing your concern on this important issue. I enjoyed hearing from you. For more information on my views on other issues, please feel free to visit my website at http://connolly.house.gov. I also encourage you to visit the website to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Connolly

[tj06sti]

Update: Upon further research, they have only denied the ammunition and hunting part of the petition. They were still taking comments until September 15th on the fishing tackle side of the debate.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress...6!OpenDocument

[Redfish12]

Did you call it an urban myth or did he choose that expression?

[tj06sti]

Did you call it an urban myth or did he choose that expression?

That was all him. I sent a pre-drafted and written letter that KeepAmericaFishing.org wrote, but it was worded really well and taking the Petition seriously.

TJ

[DOGFISH]

Take it from an old waterfowl hunter. Its not only petitions that one needs to worry about. However, sometimes the rule makes sense. Such as when they find lead ingested by waterfowl, which have also died from lead poison. Each situation has its own set of circumstances. It takes alot of data to support such a change, not just some anti-fishing group. I wonder how much lead is at the bottom of the bay.

[surfdog]

there is probably thousands of lbs of lead around the BB alone. if they had a subsitute for lead i would buy it. i was thinking of using concrete in dixie cups for tog since one can lose 2-3 lbs of weight when togging. 16oz is not uncommon to use when the current is running on Del. bay.

[DOGFISH]

Concrete is what they use for Swordfish. I have seen them using a huge lump of concrete to get down deep. It then breaks off when a fish hits.

[Redfish12]

Those rigs are cool for sure. Another option is sand sinkers. I looked into them for the jetty fishing I was doing a lot the past two summers (none so far this year). Basically a tube of sand, doesn't get as hung up, and if it does it most likely tears and you just attach a new one.

Not sure if that'd work for tog though.

[DOGFISH]

That sounds good. That may even be good for river fishing. I'll have to look into that.

[tj06sti]

:shrugs: It is their views, I know they have done alot to support keeping the beaches open to ORV driving down in Hatteras. That is something I know a bit more about, with the true science being ignored as the DOW and other groups sue the park service to close to beaches to us. Not moving turtle nests like other smart states, etc. But anyway, their views:

Send a letter to your Senators urging them to support S. 3850

On Wednesday, September 28, Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) introduced S.3850, which seeks to prevent an overarching federal ban on lead in recreational fishing tackle. If enacted, this ban will have a significant economic impact on anglers and the recreational fishing industry.

How You Can Help

To ensure support for this crucial legislation, please contact your Senators urging them to co-sponsor Senator Lincoln’s bill. Please click here to contact your Senators.

The Situation

On August 23, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity and four other organizations to ban all lead in fishing tackle and ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). On August 27, the EPA denied the petition for ammunition because it is exempted from EPA regulation under TSCA, but has not acted on the petition to ban lead in fishing tackle. If accepted as presented, this would result in a ban on all lead in all fishing tackle, including sinkers, jigs, weighted fly line, and components that contain lead such as brass and ballast in a wide variety of lures, including spinner baits, stick baits and more.

A less restrictive ban was proposed in 1992, but the EPA later abandoned it after finding that there was no significant impact of lead on waterbird populations; that the economic impact would be significant; and that the proposed rule was socially unacceptable. This issue keeps being raised but the facts do not change. A national ban on fishing tackle is unwarranted.

The Solution

Senator Lincoln introduced legislation that will help to ensure that future regulations on fishing tackle are established based on scientific data instead of unjustified petitions. This bill will amend TSCA so that fishing tackle will be exempt from EPA regulations, the same as ammunition used in hunting and the shooting sports.

The reasons to support this legislation are:

* The data does not support a federal ban on lead sinkers used for fishing. In general, bird populations, including loons and other waterfowl species, are subject to many more substantial threats such as habitat loss through shoreline development. Any lead restrictions on fishing tackle need to be based on sound science that supports the appropriate action for a particular water body or species.

* A federal ban of the use of lead in fishing tackle will have a significant negative impact on recreational anglers and fisheries resources, but a negligible impact on waterfowl populations.

* Depending on the alternative metal and current prevailing raw material costs, non-lead fishing tackle products can cost from ten to twenty times more than lead products. Non-lead products may not be as available and most do not perform as well. Mandatory transitioning to non-lead fishing tackle would require significant and costly changes from both the industry and anglers.

* America's 60 million anglers generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy, creating employment for over one million people.

[mmanolis2001]

I have seen Tungsten and even Pyrex sinkers but there are very expensive. The sand sinker is interesting.

[1obxnut]

Update from KeepAmericaFishing:
"..Thanks to your help, on Thursday, November 4, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected the petition to ban lead in all fishing tackle.

The EPA and Members of Congress received more than 43,000 messages from anglers just like you opposing a federal ban on lead in fishing tackle. Your voice was heard and had a direct impact on the EPA’s decision..."

1 down, and whole mess to go..