California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would have expanded existing school site acquisition and environmental certification requirements under the California Education Code for public and State-funded schools to include private and charter schools.  The requirements include evaluation of the schoolsite for hazardous substances, waste, and air emissions, among other provisions. The bill would have also extended the requirements for the purchase of a schoolsite or the construction of a school under the California Environmental Quality Act to include charter and private schools. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have exempted from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) housing projects located in a very low vehicle travel area, as defined; required the Office of Planning and Research to maintain maps depicting very low vehicle travel areas; exempted other housing projects as specified; and required CEQA lead agencies approving specified exempted projects to file for notices of exemption, among other provisions.  Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required, among other things, that an economic impact assessment or a standardized regulatory impact analysis also include identification of each regulation enacted on or after a date that is 10 years prior to the date of the proposed regulations when the prior adopted regulations and located in the same title or division as the proposed regulations, and include a brief summary of any economic impact analysis previously performed with regard to those regulations.  Remains in the Senate Rules Committee.

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Summary

Would have authorized a local air district, consistent with federal law, to adopt or revise, a rule to specify that hours for usage due to the loss of normal electrical service during a deenergization event by a permitted natural-gas-powered emergency backup generator that is either federally compliant or CARB designated shall not count toward that permit’s conditions for usage.  Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Spot bill related to refinery-related community air monitoring systems and refinery fence-line monitoring systems.  Remains in the Senate Rules Committee.

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Summary

Spot bill related to the posting of information on CARB's website regarding air quality conditions and trends statewide, and on the status and effectiveness of State and local air quality programs.  Remains in the Senate Rules Committee.

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Summary

Would have required a local air district without a specified rule on emergency backup generators as of January 1, 2021, that adopted such a rule to include in the rule provisions that would have allowed the operator of a critical facility, as defined, to use a permitted emergency backup generator in exceedance of the applicable runtime and testing and maintenance limits if specified conditions are met.  The bill would have required a critical facility allowed to exceed applicable limits under the rule adopted pursuant to Senate Bill 1099 to attest to and provide evidence of having taken demonstrable steps toward implementing the use of backup power technologies that meet or exceed emission standards set by CARB.  Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Would have authorized a State agency to temporarily remove public documents from digital access if a justifiable impediment existed that prevented a State agency from bringing the document into compliance with the State’s accessibility standards.  The bill would have required the Director of Technology to verify that such an impediment prohibited full compliance, and would have required the State agency to cite the reason for the document’s removal and list options and instructions for how to access the document offline.  The bill would have made any document removed after October 14, 2017, subject to these requirements.  Was not heard in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

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Summary

Would have required a local air district to adopt a rule or revise its existing rules, consistent with federal law, to allow a health facility that has received a permit from the district to construct and operate an emergency backup generator to use that emergency backup generator during a deenergization event without having that usage count toward any time limitation on actual usage and routine testing and maintenance included as a condition for issuance of that permit.  The bill would have required, if an electrical corporation, electrical cooperative, or local publicly owned electric utility had undertaken a deenergization event during a calendar year, that the electrical corporation, electrical cooperative, or local publicly owned electric utility, by January 30 of the following calendar year, submit a report with specified information to each local air district affected by the deenergization event.  Was not heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

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Summary

Would have established that specified records provided by a private industry employer, and retained by public agencies pursuant to a contract, are no longer considered trade secrets and are subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act.  Was not heard on the Senate Concurrence.

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