[EXPIRED] NC Wildlife Resources Commission Given New Authority to Remove Derelicts
A new NC law gives the state Wildlife Resources Commission authority and funding to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from public waters and state lands.
New Law Addresses Abandoned Boats
Coastal Review Online
An abandoned vessel on the Rachel Carson Reserve. Photo: Rachel Carson Reserve
Comments from Cruisers (2)
Cruisers Rights Network of North America has been made aware of the issue in North Carolina and is now looking at it.
We are in agreement with attempts to remove derelict vessels from the states waters and generally support those, but in our opinion, this legislation is not well worded and may have significant unintended consequences.
I would ask that any of your readers who have concerns about this issue, who would like to follow it, or who would like to work with us in dealing with it, connect with CRNNA at our Facebook page, https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2387879271452164&ref=content_filter
Thank you once again Cruisersnet for keeping people aware of what is going on on our waterways.
Wally Moran
The article linked in this post describes this new law this way: "The measure defines an abandoned and derelict vessel as one that has been left or stored for more than 30 days in a wrecked, junked or substantially damaged or dismantled condition, or left in a harbor or anchored in state public waters without permission of the agency having jurisdiction. Vessels docked, grounded or beached on another’s property without the owner’s permission are also subject to the law, which also lays out the process for removal."
Larry, do you have any idea what "or left in a harbor or anchored in state public waters without permission of the agency having jurisdiction" means?
Was this new law a surprise to the boating community, or were people aware of it? No problem with removal of derelicts, and probably no problem with the definition of "derelict," but it looks like this law goes further.
Did the legislature or the CRD do any public information sessions?
This kind of vague, non-specific, open-ended language can mean anything any bureaucrat or county-mounty wants it to mean, and can lead to yet another anchoring rights issue.