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Laird’s bill aims to reduce blanket fishery closures after small spills, remove certain liability exemptions
Summary
SB 839 would give regulators more discretion to avoid mandatory blanket fishery closures after small oil spills and would remove a liability exemption for private pleasure vessels in certain cases; committee voted to refer the bill to Environmental Quality.
Senator Laird presented SB 839 to give the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) more discretion to avoid mandatory fishery closures in response to small oil spills that pose little overall risk, and to remove a liability exemption for private pleasure vessels in certain circumstances.
Laird described the present rule as effectively requiring a fisheries closure in many incidents, even when a spilled quantity is small and science indicates limited risk. He cited a 2024 Marina del Rey incident where a vessel called the Admiral released approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel; the bill would clarify agency discretion and remove a liability exemption for private vessels in such cases.
Committee members expressed support for the idea of avoiding unnecessary closures where science supports it. The committee recommended SB 839 as a due‑pass referral to the Committee on Environmental Quality.
