GL: Creative solution

[M S]

Now that works great for us since in travel mode we go thru about 50-60
gallons/month of gasoline and often get fuel at street stations.
($2.50-3.00/month if we buy only at marinas).
 
- But is that fair to someone with plaining aft cabin motor yacht who may burn
thru 500-600 gallons/month?
- What about non-cruisers who are just out for the day on a runnabout, they
may not even have a toilet on board?
- What about those permanent liveaboards who only start their engines to
putter over to the pump out and back?
- What happens to the marina's fuel dock when the pump out breaks and the
spare parts are on a 3 week backlog?
- And the big one, how do you keep the politicians hands off it? I've seen
numerous articles in Boat US about how they are fighting to get funds
dedicated to boating and water resources actually used for thier dedicated
purpose as opposed to being syphoned off for other uses.
- I work in the transporation industry and there is mounting pressure to move
away from a per gallon fuel tax as it is unpredictable. As fuel prices
increase, drivers drive less or move to more fuel efficent vehicles reducing
the number of gallons purchased.
 
While I don't agree, if you want to set up a mandate, do just that. All
marinas must maintain a pump out in working order for free use, with penalties
if it is not available. As long as all marinas must do the same, it is
relatively simple and fair for them to build it into thier budget and since
everyone must maintain one it is relatively fair (not perfect as big and small
marinas must maintain similar equipment). This makes it hard for
the politicians to get at the money. Pricing can be adjusted by the marinas to
target those who use the pumpout (ie: increase the liveaboard fee as opposed
to fuel price if you have mostly liveaboards using the pumpout, but also have
a large contingency of ski boats who buy a lot of gas, but rarely use the pump
out) and marinas could adjust these fees relatively quickly to adjust for
changing market conditions.