Rescheduled for August 12th, 2020
SACRAMENTO — The California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee adjourned today without hearing Assembly Bill 3030. The committee is now scheduled to take the matter up on August 12, 2020.
The committee’s agenda included hearings on nine different bills during its three-hour session today, and it was unable to cover all of them. AB 3030 is set to be the second bill heard by the committee when it reconvenes next week.
“We thank everyone who set aside time in anticipation of calling in to oppose AB 3030,” said Wayne Kotow, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation Association of California (CCA CAL), which is leading the sportfishing community’s charge in opposition to AB 3030.
“It has been delayed, but we cannot afford to let our guard down,” Kotow added. “We will need to muster our opposition forces once again next week when AB 3030 is scheduled to be heard by the committee.”
What started as an international environmental plan to restrict the use of 30 percent of all land and water is now being driven to the extreme here in California with an ocean focus on additional marine protected areas (MPAs) with AB 3030.
Aside from pushing for MPAs, AB3030 has several other problems including:
- It does not recognize any of the state’s existing protections and management already in place. California is already a global leader in marine conservation and managed at both state and federal levels.
- California already has a wide network of 146 MPAs, reflecting the most restrictive marine environmental management policies in the world.
- Fishing closures will reduce state revenues from fishing licenses and boating fees, and in turn reduce much needed funds for scientific study and fisheries enforcement.
- This bill lacks clarity. It uses the term “protection” but does not specify what exactly that means. As written, it’s so vague that many other industries fear its implementation, including agriculture, the building industry, and wind farming to name a few. In addition, the bill also states that the current protections are inadequate, but fails to specify why.
- AB 3030 would severely restrict recreational activities at a time when more, not less, open space is necessary for the enjoyment of all Californians.
- The sportfishing community proposed amendments to correct the ills of AB 3030, but our suggestions have largely been rejected by the bill’s sponsors.
“It is important to remember that the sportfishing community is not against conservation, biodiversity, or clean ecosystems,” Kotow pointed out. “We agree that there is climate change that needs to be addressed along with issues of ocean acidification, and water and air pollution. But we don’t see how this bill addresses those issues.”
To learn more about the threat of AB 3030 and ways you can help defeat this unnecessary legislation, visit www.ccacalifornia.org today.
