A derelict 54-foot yacht left since July on the St. Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin has spurred lawmakers in both states to introduce legislation they say will discourage the abandonment of boats.
Minnesota was the first to move its bill, which would create a process to charge the owner for disposal. The Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee advanced legislation by a voice vote Tuesday that requires abandoned watercraft to be tagged by the Department of Natural Resources, giving owners 14 days to claim their vessel.
After that, the department will remove the boat, and add a removal cost to civil fines and criminal penalties for the boat’s owner.
The bill would also create a fund to pay for watercraft removals and enforce the measure to hold negligent boat owners criminally and financially responsible for the cost incurred to dispose of these abandoned vessels. Money recovered would then be placed back into the account for future watercraft removal.
Any other licenses issued by the department that the derelict boat owner holds — such as for boating, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling — would be suspended until they comply with the measure.
Around 40 boats a year are abandoned in Minnesota. But Sen. Judy Seeberger (D), the bill’s sponsor, said at the hearing there are many more that are not reported. They pollute the rivers, ditches and parks where these boats are left, typically with identification numbers stripped off the hull.
“Since I drafted this bill, people have come out of the woodwork telling me that they have boats that have been abandoned in their own jurisdictions and territories,” Seeberger said.
The legislation was prompted by a 54-foot yacht abandoned on Beer Can Island, which is under the jurisdiction of the city of Hudson, Wis., on the St. Croix River. The boat has incurred over $44,000 in fines and is estimated to cost at least $25,000 to remove and dispose of. The owner is a Minnesota resident.
“The boat owner at issue here, nothing has worked to get this person to remove this boat,” Seeberger said. “The city of Hudson has tried fining him. This boat was the impetus for this legislation.”
Hudson Mayor Rich O’Connor, who testified at the Minnesota hearing, said part of the reason the bill is needed is that there are no real consequences for abandoning a boat.
“There is no deterrent for this, which … is why this legislation is here,” O’Connor said. “We need to provide a deterrent, because with all of the attention that this boat … has received online, in the newspapers, in the media, not just locally, but down in Milwaukee and Madison as well, people are watching, and if they see that nothing is done here, this is going to proliferate in a very bad way.”
Republicans pushed back against the bill, raising concerns about property rights and whether the bill’s punitive provisions were proportional to abandoning a boat.
“This is a big deal,” said Sen. Steve Green (R), who is the panel’s ranking member. “You’re actually going to make a criminal out of someone with this bill. It’s kind of an overreach.”
Sen. Nathan Wesenberg (R) said the suspension of licenses goes too far.
“If I get a ticket for speeding, you don’t take away all my rights,” Wesenberg said. “I think that’s a bit too far.”
The Republicans were also skeptical that the problem is as widespread as the bill’s supporters claim. Seeberger took issue with that.
“So yes, I got an idea from one particular boat, but this bill is not centered on that particular boat. It’s a problem that exists statewide,” Seeberger said.
Seeberger said Wisconsin Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R) is also working on a bill, but it has not yet been introduced.
“This is a dual effort,” Seeberger said. “We’re kind of working together on this, which is a unique opportunity to — from state to state — look at each other and say, ‘Yeah, it’s a problem here too.’ And I will point out that the representative of Wisconsin, Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, is a Republican.”