Washington, D.C. ? As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist the country’s 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country’s 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways.

The millions of humble dinghies, fishing boats and smaller cargo ships that ply America’s waterways are not nationally regulated as they buzz around ports, oil tankers, power plants and other potential terrorist targets.

To reduce the potential for such an attack in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has developed a new strategy intended to increase security by enhancing safety standards. The Coast Guard is part of the department.

Today officials will announce the plan, which asks states to develop and enforce safety standards for recreational boaters and asks them to look for and report suspicious behavior on the water – much like a neighborhood watch program.