May 20, 2002
California cuts ballast water management fee
California Assembly Bill 703 which went into effect January 1, 2000 created a statewide, mandatory, multi-agency ballast water management and control program.
The program is funded by a per voyage fee of $400. Now California's State Lands Commission has promulgated an emergency regulation that will cut that fee to $200 per qualifying voyage by July 1, 2002. The fee amount will cover the budgeted expenditures as directed by law with only a small surplus to allow for under collections.
Longer term, the commission proposes to amend Section 2271 under Article 4.5 in Title 2, Division 3, Chapter 1 of the California Code of Regulations. This amendment would "permanently" lower the fee to $200 per vessel per voyage.
