Amendments to the Marine Invasive Species Act: AB 912

The California State Lands Commission has issued an update regarding Assembly Bill (AB) 912 being signed into law. The AB will bring in the following changes to the Marine Invasive Species Act as from 1^st January 2020:

1. Delays implementation of the California interim and final ballast water discharge performance standards until January 1, 2030, and January 1, 2040, respectively.
2. Mandates that the Commission adopts regulations to enforce the U.S. Coast Guard ballast water discharge performance standards.
3. Changes the boundaries of the Pacific Coast Region (PCR).
4. Defines “land” for purposes of the Marine Invasive Species Act
5. Establishes documentation and notification requirements for the ballast water management safety exemption.
6. Authorizes the Commission to sample ballast water and biofouling for research purposes.

The full update  issued by the California State Lands Commission is available here.

For additional information, Members are also referred to the California State Lands Commission Report on Performance Standards for Ballast Water Discharges in California Waters, https://www.slc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CSLCPerformanceStndRpt_2006.pdf and to the UK Club’s latest Legal Briefing on the IMO and USCG ballast water management regulations.