California Air Resources Board

Would have required the Office of Planning and Research to develop a technical advisory on best practices to facilitate the siting of compost facilities and would have required cities and counties to consider updating the land use element to identify areas for siting compost facilities. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecyle), in consultation with CARB, to include product labeling requirements that reduce food waste in regulations pursuant to SB 1383’s (Lara, Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016) Short-lived Climate Pollutant Strategy. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have defined pyrolysis the thermal decomposition of material at elevated temperatures in the absence or near absence of oxygen and required California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, no later than January 1, 2026, to amend the Short-lived Climate Pollutants Strategy regulations to include, as a recovered organic waste product attributable to a local jurisdiction’s procurement target, pipeline biomethane converted exclusively from organic waste. Ordered to the inactive file on the Senate floor.

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Authorizes local jurisdictions to count additional organic waste products, activities, and investments towards their organic waste procurement targets, including determining a local per capita procurement target using information from a local jurisdiction waste characterization study, as specified. The bill also authorizes a local jurisdiction to satisfy its annual procurement obligations by procuring a quantity of recovered organic waste products that meets or exceeds a 5-year procurement target, as specified.

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Would have formally expanded California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery's California Climate Investments program for food waste prevention to include recovery of edible food, including, but not limited to, the transportation of recovered edible food, and the purchase or subscription to technology or software that improves the efficiency and tracking of edible food recovery. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have prohibited the establishment of new transformation or engineered municipal solid waste (EMSW) conversion facilities in the State until California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has determined that the State has achieved solid waste and organic waste policy goals for three consecutive years. Was not heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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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..

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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