BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 1360
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 8, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   SB 1360 (Simitian) - As Amended:  June 4, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                             Environmental 
          Safety and Toxic Materials                    Vote: 9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill removes the sunset on existing law that prohibits the 
          release of sewage from large passenger vessels into the state's 
          marine waters and makes other, related changes to statute. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor annual costs, likely less than $50,000, to the State Water 
          Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to enforce the prohibition.

           COMMENTS  

          Earlier this year, in response to an application made by the 
          SWRCB, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prohibited large 
          passenger vessels and large oceangoing vessels from releasing 
          sewage anywhere along the length of the California coastline to 
          three miles out to sea.  Prior legislation by the author (AB 
          2672, Chapter 764, Statutes of 2004) conditionally prohibited a 
          large passenger vessel from releasing sewage into state waters 
          and sunset its provisions in 2010, which was extended to 2014 by 
          subsequent legislation.  Now that the federal government has 
          affirmed the state's authority to prohibit such sewage release 
          by large vessels, the author contends there is no reason to 
          sunset statute providing SWRCB with the authority to do so, as 
          well as other, related statutory provisions. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 












                                                                  SB 1360
                                                                  Page  2