Veto of Bills on Oil Spills Threatened

Gov. George Deukmejian, in a letter made public Thursday, threatened to veto proposed legislation to prevent and provide for the cleanup of oil spills from ships operating off the California coast.

In a letter to Sen. Barry Keene (D-Benicia) dated Aug. 17, the Republican governor raised several objections to Keene’s bill, which was passed by the Senate and is now before the Assembly.

“While I recognize much progress has been made,” the letter said, “I would like to emphasize a number of points that must be resolved in order to obtain a consensus bill which I can sign.”

One key objection in the letter is the degree of liability to lawsuits of local volunteers and cleanup organizations set up by oil companies to deal with spills from tankers off the coast. The California Trial Lawyers Assn. is insisting on full liability for damage done by anybody working on an oil spill cleanup.

A second objection by the governor is the size of the oil spill cleanup fund to be established by oil companies. Keene’s bill, and a measure by Assemblyman Ted Lempert (D-San Mateo), both call for a fund of $150 million to be increased through loans in emergencies. Deukmejian’s letter said a state fund of $30 million “is more than sufficient for effective cleanup.”