Legislation to provide funding for the removal of abandoned commercial vessels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has passed the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water.
RBOC supports the concept of the measure to address abandoned commercial watercraft in the Delta, and it is closely monitoring the measure as it moves forward to ensure that recreational boaters are not assessed financially for efforts to address commercial vessels.
As described in the official committee analysis, AB 2441 [Frazier] would:
- Create the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Abandoned Vessel Removal Account in the General Fund.
- Direct all rental income from surface uses for lands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the account.
- Provide that moneys in the account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the commission for expenditure for purposes related to the removal of abandoned commercial vessels from lands and waterways including tidelands and submerged lands, within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
- Require the commission to deposit any moneys recovered from commercial vessel removal actions undertaken to remove unattended vessels moored, docked, beached or made fast to land in a position to obstruct the normal movement of traffic of otherwise create a hazard, into the account.
- Require the commission, in consultation with other relevant state and local agencies directly involved in the removal of abandoned vessels, by July 1, 2019 to develop a plan for the removal of abandoned commercial vessels using moneys in the account.