More Evil Tom Raftkin....

[Fiskadoro]

After being slandered by the fishing tackle industry (ASA) and SAC for being in bed with the environmentalists, the real truth comes out. Raftkin's crew forges a middle ground between extremes and gets things done for fisherman!!!

Rigs to reef bill approved; awaits governor's signature...

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/sep/...its-governors/

The oil platforms that dot the Central Coast do more than just suck oil and gas from the ocean floor — they also provide a habitat for starfish and mollusks and croakers and rockfish that use them as an artificial reef, scientists say.

Following the passage of a bill Tuesday in the California Legislature, the platforms could be doing that for eternity if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs it into law at the end of the month.

The bill allows the rigs to stay indefinitely — albeit with everything above water and the first 85-feet of the structure below the water surface removed — which advocates say will not only give fish needed habitat, but bring cash to the state. The oil companies would benefit because they would save millions by not having to remove the platforms.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...ge=2&track=rss

In a rare measure backed by big oil and environmentalists, the Assembly gave final passage to the so-called Rigs to Reef bill, which allows oil companies to save hundreds of millions of dollars by leaving the pilings of offshore platforms in California's coastal waters after the wells run dry.

The tops of the platforms will still have to be removed, but Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles), author of AB 2503, said he hoped the underwater structures would become habitat for fish.

Many environmentalists opposed the original measure — which split the savings 50-50 between a state environmental fund and the platform owners — because they felt it was a giveaway to the oil companies. Under current law, the companies are on the hook for the costs of removing the entire rigs when they are decommissioned.

Amendments to the bill adjusted the split, giving the state 55% of the oil companies' savings for rigs dismantled before 2017. California's take rises to as much as 80% for rigs decommissioned after 2023.

Who could of seen that coming?

Jim