California Air Resources Board

Summary

Urges the United States Congress and President Biden to: 1) fully fund the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution for the Tijuana River due to the ongoing impacts to public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by cross-border pollution, and 2) include sufficient ongoing operation and maintenance funding for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in future federal budgets and provide funding to address ongoing cross-border pollution impacting the New River. The measure also urges President Biden to declare a national emergency due to the ongoing impacts caused by cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley..

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have required the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to develop procedures, in consultation with CARB, for local jurisdictions to request technical assistance on meeting the State’s organic waste recycling requirements.

View full bill text here

Governor's Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 972 without my signature.

This bill requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to develop procedures for local jurisdictions to request technical assistance regarding the disposal of organic material in landfills. It also requires CalRecycle to consider providing technical assistance before exercising its enforcement authority, if a local jurisdiction has submitted a technical assistance request.

While I appreciate the author's intent to assist local jurisdictions in meeting California's organic waste reduction and diversion targets established in Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, 2016), this bill is unnecessary and duplicative of existing efforts. CalRecycle currently offers a suite of technical assistance materials and comprehensive staff assistance for all jurisdictions in the state specific to Senate Bill 1383. Further, the Local Assistance and Market Development branch within CalRecycle regularly meets with local jurisdictions, including monthly Senate Bill 1383 roundtables, and conducts annual site visits to provide customized assistance consistent with each jurisdiction's needs.

For this reason, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

View Governor's veto message here

Summary

Would have required CARB by December 31, 2025, to include in the SB 901 report, which assesses GHG emissions associated with wildfire and forest management activities, a methodology to quantify GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emissions, including black carbon from wildfire, pile burning, and forest management activities and a list of the data needed to use the methodology. This bill would have also established a Forest Waste Biomass Utilization Program to be administered by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation, would have required the California Natural Resources Agency to facilitate the inclusion of recommendations for forest biomass waste utilization in relevant State climate adaptation plans, and would have required the California Energy Commission to report on innovative bioenergy technologies that utilize forest biomass waste. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have requested that the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) undertake and within 12 months of entering into a contract, submit a report to the Legislature that provides an implementation strategy to achieve the State's organic waste, and related climate change and air quality mandates, goals, and targets. The bill would have required the implementation strategy to include recommendations on policy and funding support for the beneficial reuse of organic waste. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to provide relief from solid waste recycling, composing, and organic waste recycling requirements due to COVID-19. Remains at the Assembly Desk.

View full bill text here

Summary

Authorizes a local jurisdiction facing continuous violations of organic waste regulations adopted by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) pursuant to Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, Chapter 385, Statutes of 2016), to submit a notice of intent to comply to CalRecycle. If approved by CalRecycle, the jurisdiction is eligible for administrative civil penalty relief for the 2022 calendar year and a corrective action plan.

View full bill text here

Summary

Contains statutory provisions necessary to implement the Budget Act of 2021. Among other things, the bill continuously appropriates $200 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) annually until the 2028-29 fiscal year for healthy forest and fire prevention programs and projects that improve forest health and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases caused by wildfires and for completion of prescribed fires and other fuel reduction projects. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the bill makes available $50 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year to the Department of Conservation, in coordination with CARB and the California Energy Commission, for pilot projects in the Sierra Nevada to create carbon-negative fuels from materials resulting from forest vegetation management. The bill also requires the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), upon appropriation by the Legislature, to administer a grant program through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Revolving Loan Program to provide financial assistance to promote in-state development of infrastructure, food waste prevention, or other projects to reduce organic waste or process organic and other recyclable materials into new, value-added products. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Revolving Loan Fund receives funding from GGRF. Additionally, this bill extends the eligibility for the existing fuel cell net energy metering tariff that utilities have filed with the California Public Utilities Commission from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2023.

View full bill text here

Summary

Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), in consultation with CARB, to adopt regulations to reduce disposal of organic waste in landfills for the purpose of meeting methane emissions reduction goals. The bill would revise the existing requirement included in CalRecycle’s regulations that, by 2025, at least 20 percent of edible food, which would otherwise be disposed of, be recovered for human consumption. The bill would allow food recovered pursuant to this requirement to also be used for animal or livestock consumption. Additionally, the bill would establish a baseline of January 1, 2022 for the amount of edible food that must be recovered. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have required the Strategic Growth Council, by December 31, 2021, to submit a report to the Legislature that provides a scoping plan for the State to meet its organic waste, climate change, and air quality mandates, goals, and targets.  The bill would have required the scoping plan to include, among other things, the State’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions limit, the Short Lived Climate Pollutant Strategy, and the California Forest Carbon Plan.  Was not heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have continuously appropriated $200 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to support in-state markets for solid and organic waste recycling beginning in fiscal year 2020-21.  $100 million would have gone towards in-state waste recycling projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help achieve the State's goal that 75 percent of solid waste is source reduced, recycled, and composted.  The remaining $100 million would have gone towards in-state recycling projects to meet requirements established by SB 1383 (Lara, Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016) to reduce landfill disposal of organic waste 75 percent by 2025.  Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

View full bill text here