Oil Spill Legislation Signing: SB 414

The Governor signed three important laws to help with oil spill prevention and preparedness including, Senate Bill 414 (Jackson): will require the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) to assess the best achievable technology for oil spill prevention, preparedness and response and update the adequacy of oil spill contingency plan regulations, to direct the Harbor Safety Committees for San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles-Long Beach to perform the first-ever quantitative vessel traffic risk assessments, to consult peer-reviewed scientific literature regarding the use of chemical dispersants and update the California Dispersant Plan accordingly, convene a taskforce of the Oil Spill Technical Advisory Committee to evaluate the feasibility of using vessels of opportunity for oil spill response, remove the penalty reduction for spilled oil that is recovered and disposed of, and coordinate with the U.S. Coast Guard on drills and exercises for marine firefighting and salvage.