Tell the Senate: Protect the Bay from a Disastrous Oil Spill

Jun 7, 2019

The threat of a destructive oil spill in the Bay is looming large. Oil companies are increasingly transporting heavy crude that’s virtually impossible to clean up once it sinks into a waterway.

That’s why Baykeeper is sponsoring new state legislation, Assembly Bill 936, to improve California’s response to a heavy crude oil spill. The bill passed the Assembly and is now under review in the Senate.

Please take action today by signing your name to the letter below to urge legislators to vote yes on AB 936. This is a critical chance to protect the Bay from dangerous oil spills, and we need your voice.

Learn more about AB 936 and the threat of heavy crude oil spills.

Message *

To: Senator Henry Stern, Chair
Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

Dear Senator Stern and Committee Members:

I would like to express my support for Assembly Member Robert Rivas’s bill, AB 936.  This bill takes important steps to protect our state’s waters and our communities from the threat of nonfloating oil spills. 

A discharge of nonfloating oil – be it diluted bitumen from Canada, heavy crude oil from Venezuela, fuel oils, or any other variant - would be disastrous for California’s coastline, as well as a threat to the health and safety of communities and first responders.  This type of oil is frequently diluted for transport, meaning that when it spills, the diluent evaporates in a cloud of toxic fumes. If this occurs in water, the remaining heavy oil sinks, often before it can be cleaned up with traditional methods like booms and skimming.   If the spill is not properly addressed, there is a real risk that the sunken oil cannot be cleaned up at all, and would persist for decades, fouling California’s beaches and fragile underwater environments.  

AB 936 takes common sense steps to ensure that the state can properly address such a spill if it occurs, and that first responders can be prepared for the unique risks of nonfloating oil.  The bill mandates updating the state’s contingency planning to ensure that the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) has in place state-of-the-art methods to address spills of nonfloating oil.  It also addresses gaps in current law that do not sufficiently account for spills of oil containing diluent, or incorporate the most recent U.S. Coast Guard guidelines that include such diluted oils in the definition of nonfloating oil.  

Additionally, the transport notification provisions in AB 936 are critical to ensure that both OSPR and local communities, including their first responders, can take the steps necessary to minimize harm from oil spills should they occur. Currently, neither OSPR nor the public has any reliable means of knowing in advance when tankers or trains carrying nonfloating oil will be entering the state.  It is imperative that first responders know right away the type of oil that has spilled, because the damage from nonfloating oil can most effectively be mitigated during the critical first few hours after a spill, when the oil has not yet sunk into the water column.  When diluted bitumen spilled into the Kalamazoo River in 2010 – which ultimately cost more than $1 billion to clean up – first responders were not aware initially that nonfloating oil was involved, because the pipeline company was not forthcoming about that fact.  

California’s coastline is a vital asset – home to a beautiful and complex array of species, a refuge and source of enjoyment for Californians, and part of the life blood of our state’s tourism industry.  Please vote “AYE” on AB 936 when it is heard in your committee. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Street Address

City *

State *

Zip Code

Leave this field blank

Tell the Senate: Protect the Bay from a Disastrous Oil Spill

Related Content

New Chevron Oil Spill Report Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test

A Recurring Nightmare

The Last Oil Spill?