California State Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) dropped a bill that would have banned copper-based boat-hull paints. The bill was based on the premise that copper-based antifouling paints used on recreational boats were the main culprit for copper pollution in marinas statewide. The senator called for more studies to be completed before moving forward.

NMMA and a number of local and national advocacy groups, including the Recreational Boaters of California and the American Coatings Association, opposed the measure, noting the high financial burden it could place on recreational boaters to remove old coatings and repaint their vessels.