New Coastal Protection Signed By Governor

Marc Longpre
Half Moon Bay Reviews
09/27/2006

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has today signed the Coastal Ecosystems Protection Act, creating the toughest standards in the nation for protecting California's coastline against dangerous discharge from large ships.

The law will create standards for the discharge of ballast water, a leading cause of "bioinvasions," when non-native plants, animals, bacteria and viruses are discharged into the marine environment by large vessels storing the water in holding tanks.

The measure, originally proposed by state Sen. Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, was approved by the California State Assembly by a vote of 50 to 28, clearing the Senate by a 27 to 8 vote.