Post by ferryfast admin on Oct 26, 2007 15:10:07 GMT -5
Senate Committees Pass Superferry Bill
Written by Brooks Baehr
bbaehr@kgmb9.com
www.kgmb9.com/
Thursday, October 25, 2007 08:35 PM
Day two of the special session.
House committees heard more than 11 hours of testimony about the superferry bill. But it took just about one hour for 3 key Senate committees to give their approval.
The bill that passed has superferry officials smiling, and superferry opponents gritting their teeth.
Lawmakers have spent the last few weeks crafting a bill they hope will get the ferry back in business while protecting the environment at the same time.
State senators presented the latest version of that bill during their committee meeting late Thursday afternoon. The bill has been amended with conditions aimed at protecting the environment.
The bill calls for an observer from NOAA to be on every voyage. That observer will keep an eye out for whales and document all whale strikes on board.
It prohibits people from taking rocks and soil from one island to another.
It mandates that passengers declare whether or not they are carrying plants, fruits and seeds with them.
It requires that all vehicles, including trunks, pickup truck beds and undercarriages be inspected before getting on the ferry.
The bill does not include all the safeguards superferry opponents had asked for.
A spokesman for the Sierra Club said the measure does not go far enough in protecting whales.
Superferry officials, on the other hand, are happy with changes to the proposed legislation.
The superferry people said if the bill is approved by lawmakers and signed into law by the governor, the ferry could be back into operation in 7-10 days.
Last Updated ( Friday, October 26, 2007 12:33 AM )