AB 1112: An ounce of prevention

The state's coastline and bays are a part of critically important ecosystems that support large numbers of birds, fish, and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. They are also the nurseries for our fishing industries and many local economies. To ensure the highest level of oil spill prevention, AB 1112 (Huffman) requires state agencies to beef up efforts to monitor and inspect the highest risk marine oil transfers, and gives the state the authority to increase the per barrel fee by a penny and a half through 2015 to prevent drastic budget cuts to critical oil spill prevention programs. This measure struck a good balance and gained bi-partisan support.