California Air Resources Board

Summary

Requires a State agency to notify the Secretary of State when records are digitized, regardless of whether this is performed by a third-party vendor. The bill requires the Records Management Coordinator of a State agency to notify the Secretary of State if a record is lost or destroyed.

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Summary

Requires the owner or operator of a wastewater treatment facility, on or before January 1, 2027, to install, operate, and maintain a fence-line monitoring system that is approved by the appropriate air quality management district. The bill requires that the wastewater treatment-related fence-line monitoring system include equipment capable of measuring pollutants of concern, including hydrogen sulfide, emitted to the atmosphere from wastewater treatment processes.

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Summary

Updates the statewide refinery-related fence-line and community air monitoring program established by AB 1647 (Muratsuchi, Chapter 589, Statutes of 2017). The bill establishes statewide standards for the air monitoring program, including monitoring system capabilities, pollutants requiring monitoring, air quality control and assurance plans, third party audits, and data reporting. The bill also extends the air monitoring program deadline from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2028 for updating or installing new air monitoring systems required by the bill and expands the program to include biofuel refineries. Moved to the Assembly Inactive File.

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Summary

Would have designated a local air district as a special district for purposes of receiving State funds or funds disbursed by the State, including federal funds. The bill would also have required, if eligibility for funds requires a district to be considered either a dependent or an independent special district, the entity distributing those funds to use the definitions for those terms set forth in the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, as specified, to determine eligibility. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB to conduct an assessment of the socioeconomic impacts, as defined, of a proposed rule or regulation with an economic impact of $10 million or more that will significantly affect air quality or emissions limitations. The bill also would have authorized CARB to contract with a third party to conduct the required assessment of socioeconomic impacts. The bill would have specified minimum standards for the assessment of socioeconomic impacts and required CARB or a third-party contractor to include in the assessment of socioeconomic impacts specified information and various economic analyses. The bill would have prohibited CARB from approving an assessment of socioeconomic impacts that fails to meet these requirements. The bill would have had similar provisions for local air districts regarding third party contractors and made changes to the socioeconomic analysis carried out by local air districts for rulemakings. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Authorizes the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency (CNRA Secretary) to enter into agreements with federally recognized California Native American tribes in support of tribal sovereignty with respect to cultural burning. The bill provides that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, the CNRA Secretary may agree, with regard to cultural burning, that compliance with State permitting or regulatory requirements is not required. The CNRA Secretary may enter into the agreement with such tribes related to the State Smoke Management Program only with concurrence of the Secretary of Environmental Protection. The bill does not provide authorization to enter or burn property without the permission of the landowner. In order to support these agreements, the bill also requires the CNRA Secretary to convene a cultural burn working group consisting of State agencies, California Native American tribes, local air districts, and local governments, with the goal of determining a framework to enable conditions conducive to cultural burning, including consideration of the role of a local air pollution control district in supporting the effort of cultural burning. The bill requires the working group to report its findings to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2025. The bill repeals these provisions on January 1, 2029. Was not heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Is a general government budget trailer bill to the Budget Act of 2023 that makes changes to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. The bill authorizes State bodies to hold public meetings, subject to specified notice and accessibility requirements, through teleconferencing and making public meetings accessible telephonically or otherwise electronically to the public, as specified. The bill provides that a State body need not make available any physical location from which members of the public may observe the meeting and offer public comment. These Bagley-Keene provisions sunset on December 31, 2023.

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Summary

Requires a fixed-mount generator to be classified as a stationary source and requires CARB to adopt regulations consistent with that requirement. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Authorizes a person or entity to petition CARB to exempt prohibited, intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from that prohibition. The bill authorizes CARB to, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control, exempt an intentionally added PFAS from that prohibition if CARB determines that the intentionally added PFAS meets specified qualifications. The bill also requires the petitioner to provide specified information in their exemption petition to CARB, including the name of the intentionally added PFAS proposed for exemption, its intended end use, and its intended concentration in the proposed cosmetic product. Was not heard in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

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Summary

Triples specified civil penalties, such as for strict liability, negligence, and willful and intentional violations, under the following conditions:  (1) the discharge is from a source regulated under Title V of the federal Clean Air Act, and (2) the discharge contains one or more air contaminants, as identified by CARB as a toxic air contaminant, and as defined as a “air contaminant” or “air pollutant,” or a pollutant that has a California ambient air quality standard, as specified. The bill directs the court or the local air district when assessing penalties to consider health impacts, community disruptions, and other circumstances related to the violation. Moved to the Senate Inactive File.

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