California Air Resources Board

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

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 

By December 31, 2024, would have required CARB to establish a certification standard for natural gas producing low-methane emissions, and consider existing third-party natural gas certification standards during development. This bill also would have required CARB to encourage natural gas procurement on behalf of the State to shift to certified natural gas producing low methane emissions, where feasible, cost effective, and in the best interests of ratepayers. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Creates a waiver for low-population local jurisdictions and exempts those jurisdictions from SB 1383 (Lara, 2016) organics waste diversion goals until December 31, 2028, if they do not already have another, specified, waiver.

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Summary 

Prohibits the establishment of new transformation or engineered municipal solid waste (EMSW) conversion facilities in the State until CalRecycle 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 

Would have required CARB, no later than June 30, 2026, to evaluate and, if feasible and to the extent data is available, revise regulations to incorporate the use of methane remote sensing data to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills pursuant to the Short-lived Climate Pollution Strategy. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Updates AB 1757 (C. Garcia, Chapter 341, Statutes of 2022) by removing language that made natural and working lands emissions reduction projects and actions that receive state funding ineligible to generate credits under a market-based compliance mechanism and instead requires CARB to ensure that all greenhouse gas emissions reductions and removals used for any market-based compliance mechanism are in addition to any reductions and removals that would otherwise occur.

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Summary 

Requires any commercial feed, feed additive, or drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration that is fed to livestock to be under the oversight of the California Department of Agriculture as the primary State regulatory agency, including, but not limited to, products that make environmental and health claims. This provision explicitly does not limit the CARB’s authority in Section 39730.7 of the Health and Safety Code.

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Summary 

Would have required CalRecycle to allow a local jurisdiction until December 1, 2031, in procuring recovered organic waste products to meet the target procurement requirements under the Short-lived Climate Pollutant Strategy, to use California-derived recovered organic waste that the local jurisdiction sends for processing at a facility outside of the State that meets certain conditions, as provided. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Would have required CARB by December 31, 2025, to include in the SB 901 (Dodd, 2018) report, 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 also would have 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, required the California Natural Resources Agency to facilitate the inclusion of recommendations for forest biomass waste utilization in relevant State climate adaptation plans, and required the California Energy Commission to report on innovative bioenergy technologies that utilize forest biomass waste. This bill was similar to AB 2878 (Aguiar-Curry, 2022).  Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

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