Four bills written in response to the May 19 oil spill that affected South Bay beaches are before the state legislature.
They are designed to help prevent oil spills and address what some supporters say was a slow response to the Refugio oil spill, which resulted in tar balls washing up 100 miles south in the South Bay.
“The best way to prevent an oil spill is to stop new oil drilling,” said Linda Krop, chief counsel of the Environmental Defense Center, a nonprofit environmental law firm in Santa Barbara. “The second best way is to have the best protection and oversight.”
SB 788 would close a loophole in the California Coastal Sanctuary Act, which banned any new offshore gas or oil leases except in a few cases such as Hermosa Beach.
SB 414, the Rapid Oil Spill Response Act, would require “agencies to respond more quickly so oil doesn’t travel so far,” Krop said. The law would allow local fishermen to be trained how to respond to a spill and work as paid contractors. It would also ban the use of dispersants, which can be toxic, in cleaning up spills. No dispersants were used in the Refugio spill.
“Even though the measure concerns Santa Barbara, it does impact all of us potentially,” said Craig Cadwallader, the chair of the South Bay chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
SB 295 would require the state fire marshal to inspect and test pipelines once a year.
AB 864 would require that the “best achievable technology” be used to prevent oil spills, such as automatic shutoff valves, which Plains All American Pipeline didn’t have.
“Had there been automatic cutoffs, they may have significantly reduced the amount of oil that got in the water,” said Cadwallader.
All of the bills have received initial support in their houses of origin, but must be voted on in their final form both there and in the other house before being presented to the governor, who could veto them.
Cadwallader said the bills had been well received.
“There’s been bipartisan support because politicians of both parties recognize the value of protecting our coastal assets,” he said. The state’s coastal zone contributes $40 billion per year, he added.
Although he hesitated to guess how the governor might react if the legislation reached him, he was cautiously optimistic.
“I think he’ll probably support it because it makes good sense for California environmentally and financially,” he said.
The legislative session is coming to a close in September, so unless the bills are passed now, they will have to wait until next year.
“We want to pass them now to make sure it’s still fresh in people’s minds,” said Krop. “And to prevent any other spills.” ER
