(1) The legislature finds that:

(a) Washington state has the greatest length of marine shoreline miles of the lower forty-eight states;

(b) Such marine waters and the extensive freshwater lakes and rivers of the state provide innumerable recreational opportunities, and support a state recreational vessel population that is one of the largest in the country;

(c) Many of Washington's popular recreational waters are remote from population centers and thus remote from emergency health care facilities;

(d) Washington's climate in the western portion of the state, in which its marine recreational waters lie, is cool and wet for much of the year. Much of the state's recreational vessel activity is conducted in the late fall and winter months in connection with fishing activities. For these reasons the great majority of Washington vessels are equipped with heating devices. These appliances are in use for a much greater portion of the boating season than in other states, and are predominantly fueled by liquid petroleum gas;

(e) Current state and federal standards governing heating and cooking appliances on vessels that are fueled by liquid petroleum gas do not adequately protect against undetected gas leaks. Such gas leaks have led to explosions on Washington waters, causing loss of life and property damage;

(f) The commission coordinates a statewide program of boating safety education to communicate accident prevention information to boaters at risk of fires, explosions, and other hazards, and administers a boating accident reporting program to assess the effectiveness of accident prevention measures.

(2) It is the intent of the legislature to address the state's unique local circumstances regarding inadequate protection of Washington's boaters from undetected leaks of liquid petroleum gas-fueled appliances by incorporating into the boating safety program an intensified boating fire prevention program with special emphasis on preventing fires and carbon monoxide poisoning caused by auxiliary fuels and appliances.

Severability—1993 c 469: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [ 1993 c 469 s 7.]

Effective date—1993 c 469: "This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately [May 17, 1993]." [ 1993 c 469 s 8.]