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AB-2631 Oil spill prevention and response.(2007-2008)

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2007–2008 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2631


Introduced  by  Assembly Member Fuller

February 22, 2008


An act to amend Section 8750 of the Public Resources Code, relating to oil spills.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2631, as introduced, Fuller. Oil spill prevention and response.
The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act generally requires the administrator for oil spill response, acting at the direction of the Governor, to implement activities relating to oil spill response, including emergency drills and preparedness, and oil spill containment and cleanup, and to represent the state in any coordinated response efforts with the federal government.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes in those provisions with respect to certain definitions, and correct a statutory reference.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 8750 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

8750.
 Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions govern the construction of this division:
(a) “Administrator” means the administrator for oil spill response appointed by the Governor pursuant to Section 8670.4 of the Government Code.
(b) “Barges” means any a vessel that carries oil in commercial quantities as cargo, but is not equipped with a means of self-propulsion.
(c) (1) “Best achievable protection” means the highest level of protection which that can be achieved through both the use of the best achievable technology and those manpower levels, training procedures, and operational methods which that provide the greatest degree of protection achievable. The administrator’s determination of best achievable protection shall be guided by the critical need to protect valuable coastal resources and marine waters, while also considering (A) the protection provided by the measures, (B) the technological achievability of the measures, and (C) the cost of the measures.
(2) It is not the intent of the Legislature that the administrator use a cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analysis or any particular method of analysis in determining which measures to require. Instead, it is the intent of the Legislature that the administrator give reasonable consideration to the protection provided by the measures, the technological achievability of the measures, and the cost of the measures when establishing the requirements to provide the best achievable protection for coastal and marine resources.
(d) “Best achievable technology” means that technology which that provides the greatest degree of protection taking into consideration (1) processes which that are being developed, or could feasibly be developed anywhere in the world, given overall reasonable expenditures on research and development, and (2) processes which that are currently in use anywhere in the world. In determining what is best achievable technology, the administrator shall consider the effectiveness and engineering feasibility of the technology.
(e) “Commission” means the State Lands Commission.
(f) “Local government” means any a chartered or general law city, chartered or general law county, or any city and county.
(g) “Marine facility” means any a facility of any kind, other than a vessel, which is or was used for the purposes of exploring for, drilling for, producing, storing, handling, transferring, processing, refining, or transporting oil and is located in marine waters, or is located where a discharge could impact marine waters, unless the facility (1) is subject to Chapter 6.67 (commencing with Section 25270) or Chapter 6.75 (commencing with Section 25299.10) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code or (2) is placed on a farm, nursery, logging site, or construction site and does not exceed 20,000 gallons in a single storage tank. For the purposes of this division, a drill ship, semisubmersible drilling platform, jack-up type drilling rig, or any other floating or temporary drilling platform is a “marine facility.” For the purposes of this division, a small craft refueling dock is not a “marine facility.”
(h) “Marine terminal” means any a marine facility used for transferring oil to or from tankers or barges. For the purposes of this section, a marine terminal includes all piping not integrally connected to a tank facility as defined in subdivision (k) (m) of Section 25270.2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(i) “Marine waters” means those waters subject to tidal influence, except for waters in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers and Delta upstream from a line running north and south through the point where Contra Costa, Sacramento, and Solano Counties meet.
(j) “Nonpersistent oil” means a petroleum-based oil, such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel, which evaporates relatively quickly. Specifically, it is an oil with hydrocarbon fractions, at least 50 percent of which, by volume, distills at a temperature of 645 degrees Fahrenheit, and at least 95 percent of which, by volume, distills at a temperature of 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
(k) “Oil” means any kind of petroleum, liquid hydrocarbons, or petroleum products or any fraction or residues therefrom, including, but not limited to, crude oil, bunker fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, oil sludge, oil refuse, oil mixed with waste, and liquid distillates from unprocessed natural gas.
(l) “Onshore facility” means any a facility of any kind which that is located entirely on lands not covered by marine waters.
(m) “Operator” when used in connection with vessels, marine terminals, pipelines, or facilities, means any a person or entity which that owns, has an ownership interest in, charters, leases, rents, operates, participates in the operation of, or uses that vessel, terminal, pipeline, or facility. “Operator” does not include any an entity which that owns the land underlying the facility or the facility itself, where the entity is not involved in the operations of the facility.
(n) “Person” means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, or corporation, including, but not limited to, a government corporation, partnership, limited liability company, and association. “Person” also includes any a city, county, city and county, or district, and the state or any department or agency thereof, and the federal government, or any department or agency thereof, to the extent permitted by law.
(o) “Pipeline” means any a pipeline used at any time to transport oil.
(p) “Responsible party” or “party responsible” means either of the following:
(1) The owner or transporter of oil or a person or entity accepting responsibility for the oil.
(2) The owner, operator, or lessee of, or person who charters by demise, any a vessel or marine facility or a person or entity accepting responsibility for the vessel or marine facility.
(q) “Small craft refueling dock” means a fixed facility having tank storage capacity not exceeding 20,000 gallons in any single storage tank and that dispenses nonpersistent oil to small craft.
(r) “Spill” or “discharge” means any a release of at least one barrel (42 gallons) of oil not authorized by any a federal, state, or local government entity.
(s) “State oil spill contingency plan” means the California oil spill contingency plan prepared pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 8574.1) of Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(t) “Tanker” means any self-propelled, waterborne vessel, constructed or adapted for the carriage of oil in bulk or in commercial quantities as cargo.
(u) “Vessel” means a tanker or barge as defined in this section.