Print ArticleSanta Barbara–State Assemblymember Pedro Nava, the California Department of Conservation´s Division of Oil & Gas, the California Department of Fish & Game and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held a press conference in Santa Barbara yesterday to announce that Governor Schwarzenegger signed Assemblymember Nava´s legislative initiatives to protect the environment and go after the most egregious polluters in our state.
"I want to thank all the people who made today possible. We can now better protect Californians and the environment from pollution," said Nava. "Governor Schwarzenegger signing my legislation into law gives state law enforcement officials and state agencies the necessary tools to pursue serial spillers in California. This legislation will prevent rogue companies such as Greka Energy from polluting, and if they do, hold them accountable. This is especially important in Santa Barbara County. It has been over 10 months since Greka´s 88,978 gallon spill in December of 2007 and we are still waiting for local action."
"By ensuring that operators properly maintain onshore oil production facilities, AB 1960 will help to minimize potential threats from oil spills to life, health, property and the environment," said State Oil and Gas Supervisor Hal Bopp, with the California Department of Conservation Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources.
The initiatives are in response to a series of catastrophic on-shore oil spills in Santa Barbara County where more than 600,000 gallons of crude oil & processed water have been spilled during the last six years with more than 320,000 spilled since last December by a multinational energy company.
AB 1960-This measure increases the authority to the California Department of Conservation´s Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to do the following:
1) Develop specific, minimum maintenance requirements for all oil facilities in the state.
2) Authorizes DOGGR to shut down facilities that do not meet those minimum maintenance standards.
3) Authorizes DOGGR to require "life-of-well" and/or "life-of-facility" bonding for operators with histories of negligence, or outstanding liabilities to the state. This bonding would help ensure that facilities meet minimum maintenance standards and would pay for proper decommissioning and clean up of facilities at minimum costs to the state.
4) Requires that operators file an oil spill contingency plan with DOGGR, within three months after initial production or acquisition of a facility.
5) Increases the maximum civil penalty for violations of oil and gas conservation regulations from $5,000 to $25,000.
6) Increases maximum fines for violations of Division 3, Chapter 1 of the Oil and Gas portion of the Public Resources Code
AB 2911-This measure improves the ability of the California Department of Fish & Game´s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) to respond to and enforce laws on inland oil spills:
1) Designates the State OSPR as the onsite incident commander for off-highway inland oil spills into surface waters (authority already existed for marine spills).
2) Makes the responsible party pay for costs of inland oil spill response, clean up and restoration (as exists for marine oil spills).
3) Develops an interagency, statewide inland oil spill contingency plan.
4) Doubled civil penalties for both inland and marine oil spills to a minimum civil penalty of $50,000 and a maximum of $1,000,000.
5) Gives OSPR civil administrative penalty authority for inland oil spills, as already exists for marine spills. Requires OSPR to plan for prevention of and response to inland oil spills.
6) Allows OSPR to fine polluters up to $250,000 a day for failure to promptly and adequately clean up spilled or leaked pollutants.
7) Clarifies that the responsibilities of the state's Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) include proactive oiled wildlife search and rescue, in addition to rehabilitative care.
8) Provides for recruitment and training of a larger field team and expanded network of wildlife specialists and volunteers to assist in field collection, including training in hazardous materials handling and wildlife collection techniques.
9) Increases the staff resources of the OWCN for field operations coordination and volunteer outreach, and increase the amount of the interest earned on the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund that may be dedicated to the OWCN for these purposes.
This measure will correct an inequity in the state´s ability to respond to inland oil spills compared to marine spills. Even though more than 75 percent of all oil spills occur on inland waters, according to a report from OSPR, the state is only able to respond to less than one third of reported inland spills. These spills pose a very significant threat to public safety, water quality and the environment.
"I want to thank all the people who made today possible. We can now better protect Californians and the environment from pollution," said Nava. "Governor Schwarzenegger signing my legislation into law gives state law enforcement officials and state agencies the necessary tools to pursue serial spillers in California. This legislation will prevent rogue companies such as Greka Energy from polluting, and if they do, hold them accountable. This is especially important in Santa Barbara County. It has been over 10 months since Greka´s 88,978 gallon spill in December of 2007 and we are still waiting for local action."
"By ensuring that operators properly maintain onshore oil production facilities, AB 1960 will help to minimize potential threats from oil spills to life, health, property and the environment," said State Oil and Gas Supervisor Hal Bopp, with the California Department of Conservation Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources.
The initiatives are in response to a series of catastrophic on-shore oil spills in Santa Barbara County where more than 600,000 gallons of crude oil & processed water have been spilled during the last six years with more than 320,000 spilled since last December by a multinational energy company.
AB 1960-This measure increases the authority to the California Department of Conservation´s Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to do the following:
1) Develop specific, minimum maintenance requirements for all oil facilities in the state.
2) Authorizes DOGGR to shut down facilities that do not meet those minimum maintenance standards.
3) Authorizes DOGGR to require "life-of-well" and/or "life-of-facility" bonding for operators with histories of negligence, or outstanding liabilities to the state. This bonding would help ensure that facilities meet minimum maintenance standards and would pay for proper decommissioning and clean up of facilities at minimum costs to the state.
4) Requires that operators file an oil spill contingency plan with DOGGR, within three months after initial production or acquisition of a facility.
5) Increases the maximum civil penalty for violations of oil and gas conservation regulations from $5,000 to $25,000.
6) Increases maximum fines for violations of Division 3, Chapter 1 of the Oil and Gas portion of the Public Resources Code
AB 2911-This measure improves the ability of the California Department of Fish & Game´s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) to respond to and enforce laws on inland oil spills:
1) Designates the State OSPR as the onsite incident commander for off-highway inland oil spills into surface waters (authority already existed for marine spills).
2) Makes the responsible party pay for costs of inland oil spill response, clean up and restoration (as exists for marine oil spills).
3) Develops an interagency, statewide inland oil spill contingency plan.
4) Doubled civil penalties for both inland and marine oil spills to a minimum civil penalty of $50,000 and a maximum of $1,000,000.
5) Gives OSPR civil administrative penalty authority for inland oil spills, as already exists for marine spills. Requires OSPR to plan for prevention of and response to inland oil spills.
6) Allows OSPR to fine polluters up to $250,000 a day for failure to promptly and adequately clean up spilled or leaked pollutants.
7) Clarifies that the responsibilities of the state's Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) include proactive oiled wildlife search and rescue, in addition to rehabilitative care.
8) Provides for recruitment and training of a larger field team and expanded network of wildlife specialists and volunteers to assist in field collection, including training in hazardous materials handling and wildlife collection techniques.
9) Increases the staff resources of the OWCN for field operations coordination and volunteer outreach, and increase the amount of the interest earned on the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund that may be dedicated to the OWCN for these purposes.
This measure will correct an inequity in the state´s ability to respond to inland oil spills compared to marine spills. Even though more than 75 percent of all oil spills occur on inland waters, according to a report from OSPR, the state is only able to respond to less than one third of reported inland spills. These spills pose a very significant threat to public safety, water quality and the environment.
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