California Ships to Reefs has been working with state
governmental agencies to lay the groundwork for approval of
artificial reef projects along the length of the California
coast. The main goals of these artificial reefs are the
creation of new habitats for ocean inhabitants, creating new
SCUBA diving and fishing sites resulting in greater
opportunities for ocean enthusiasts as well as economic
opportunities for businesses providing services to them, and
to provide a reasonable alternative to the long-term storage
or scrapping of decommissioned military or retired
commercial ships.

Assembly Bill AB634, authored by Assemblywoman Diane Harkey
(R-Dana Point) and sponsored by California Ships to Reefs,
provides a significant cornerstone to the approvals needed
from these agencies. AB634 specifically protects state and
local agencies from liability with respect to diving
incidents that may occur on artificial reefs placed in areas
controlled by state or local governments (State Lands
Commission is one example). Without passage of AB634, it
will be very difficult to go further with the other required
approvals needed to work on artificial reef projects.

It is critical that those wishing to see artificial reefing
succeed in California the way it has elsewhere in the
country (e.g., Florida) or internationally (e.g., British
Columbia) express support for this bill by contacting
Assemblywoman Harkey. Please feel free to use the letter
below to express your support. You can either print it and
send to Assemblywoman Harkey at the address below, or simply
copy and paste it into the “comments” section of her website
contact page at: http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/73/?p=email.
Thank you for your help!



Honorable Diane Harkey
California State Assembly
State Capitol, Room 4177
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: AB 634 - Support

Dear Assemblywoman Harkey,

As an avid ocean sport enthusiast and citizen concerned with
ocean conservancy, I would like to express my full support
for Assembly Bill AB634. This bill will enable the State
and local jurisdictions to participate in the placing of
these artificial reefs, beneficial to the economy and the
environment, free of the liability for injuries that might
occur to persons diving on these reefs. I believe that
artificial reefing can provide great benefits for ocean
conservancy, economic benefits for businesses providing
services to ocean enthusiasts, and viable alternatives for
disposal of decommissioned military or retired commercial
vessels.

I support AB634 and thank you for your efforts to ensure
that it passes through the State Legislature.
Sincerely,
your name here