SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed Assembly Bill 166, a bill that will assist boaters in disposing of their vessels in a legal and environmentally friendly manner.

A Cure for Abandoned Boats? -- AB166, signed by the governor Oct. 12, will provide boaters with a no-cost alternative to abandoning boats, and will increase penalties for vessel abandonment.

The governor’s Oct. 12 approval of the bill is a win for Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who introduced the legislation in an effort to help clean up California’s navigible waterways.

“I am very excited that the governor signed it this year,” Assemblyman Lieu said. “It has been a two-year fight, because he vetoed it (last year). But this year, we were able to work with his office and convince him that this really is a money saver for the state -- because it allows more abandoned vessels to be taken care of using the same existing resources.”

Under the new law, which takes effect in January 2010, the minimum penalty for boat owners who abandon their vessel will double to $1,000 -- however, the state will offer a free alternative disposal method for boat owners interested in legally disposing of those boats, preventing them from becoming derelict vessels or navigational hazards. Boaters will be able to dispose of their vessels at no cost by contacting a local government agency. The agency will call a contractor to dispose of the vessel, and the agency will then bill a state fund for the disposal costs.

“This is a voluntary program, so as a boater, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do, ’ Assemblyman Lieu explained. ’But if you want to voluntarily abandon your boat to a local agency, this bill provides money so that local agency takes the boat from you,

“So, this helps boat owners and helps reduce the number of abandoned boats that are sitting out there in waterways and marinas,” he added.

AB166 was designed to help prevent the abandonment of vessels, which can become costly-to-remove hazards to navigation and can emit seeping toxins -- such as fuel and oil -- that can pollute the environment.

The Assembly bill was supported by California’s State Sheriff’s Association, the California Association of Harbor Masters and Port Captains, the California Marine Parks and Harbors Association, the California Yacht Brokers Association, the Marina Recreation Association, the Northern California Marine Association, San Francisco Baykeeper and the Western Boaters Safety Group.