Governor Signs Bill To Protect Coastal Waters

Don Kazak
Palo Alto Online
09/18/2006

A bill protecting California coastal waters from often damaging discharge of ballast water from cargo ships has been signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, SB 497, was authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. "The standards are rigorous but attainable," Simitian said. "My hope is that these standards will be a model for other states."

Large cargo ships take on ballast water when they are loaded and release it when they reach their destination ports. But the ballast water includes non-native species of marine life which can be harmful to existing plants and sea life. More than 250 non-native species have been transported into San Francisco Bay.