BILL NUMBER: AB 2547 VETOED DATE: 09/29/2008 To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2547 without my signature. In addition to many other activities which are already being undertaken by the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), this bill seeks to establish a new grant program to evaluate new oil spill response technologies. This is unnecessary as OSPR already maintains partnerships with the United States Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service to monitor and evaluate new response technologies. Additionally, the funding stream for this new program is problematic. The bill proposes to fund the new grant program using the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund. This is problematic because Trust Fund monies are set aside to fund oil spill response activities. Using this money for an ongoing program depletes the fund and sets a bad precedent that undermines its purpose: to ensure that there are always funds available for expedient response to an oil spill in the marine waters of the state. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger