Congress Passes Senator Boxer Provisions to Help Suisun Bay

Spending Bill Includes Boxer Amendment for $1.5 million

December 20, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill includes an amendment offered by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that sets aside $1,500,000 to conduct an environmental study in Suisun Bay.

“I want to see these rotting ships moved out of the Bay, but we must make sure that we don’t cause more environmental damage in the process,” Boxer said. “I’m pleased that the Congress recognized the impact the mothballed fleet is having on our environment.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will receive this funding for to better understand the toxic contamination that has been caused by the rotting World War II vessels and to develop appropriate solutions based on those findings.

The Congress also enacted provisions Senator Boxer worked earlier this year to include in the Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill which would:

-- Call on the Secretary of Transportation to convene a working group within 30 days of enactment to review and make recommendations on environmental practices for the storage and disposal of the vessels.

-- Require the working group to submit a plan to the Senate within 90 days of enactment on how to improve storage and disposal of vessels in an environmentally sound way.

-- Require the relevant federal agencies to implement a disposal plan in accordance with both federal and state environment laws.

Source: Senator Barbara Boxer

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