CalRecycle: Mandatory Commercial Recycling 

Cal Recycle staff is conducting a workshop to seek stakeholder input on the proposed AB 32 Mandatory Commercial Recycling regulation. The proposed mandatory commercial recycling regulation will reduce greenhouse gases by focusing waste reduction within the commercial sector and requiring businesses and multifamily units of five units or more that produce more than four cubic yards of solid waste per week to recycle. Recycled materials can include, but are not limited to paper, plastics, glass, metals, cardboard, organics, food waste, and construction and demolition materials. At the workshop, staff will present the results of additional economic analyses done for the proposed regulation and changes to the regulatory language since the January 19, 2011 workshop. 
The Agenda and the Webinar information for the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Workshop on July 19, 2011 have been posted on Cal Recycle’s website.

The public workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Cal/EPA Headquarters Building in Sacramento, Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd Floor. 

For additional information, visit the Mandatory Commercial Recycling website.

Conservation

SB 328 (Kehoe) – Request for Comments
As Amended June 22, 2011

SB 328, by Senator Christine Kehoe, would require a person seeking to acquire, by eminent domain, a property subject to a conservation easement to give the holder of the conservation easement a notice containing specified information and an opportunity to comment on the acquisition.

Eminent domain has been used as a tool to acquire land that is subject to a conservation easement, typically for transportation, development and infrastructure projects. According to the author and supporters, the use of eminent domain in these instances not only threatens to destroy the environmental value created by the conservation easement, it also represents a considerable waste of public and private investment on the part of government entities, as well as non-profit agencies, which purchased those easements. According to the author, this bill is intended to ensure that whenever an entity seeks to acquire property subject to a conservation easement that the easement holder, and any other entities that contributed to acquisition of that easement, are given ample notice and opportunity to be heard in any condemnation proceedings. This bill is on the Senate Third Reading File.

Energy

AB 512 (Gordon) – Support
As Introduced February 15, 2011

AB 512, by Assembly Member Rich Gordon, would make changes to the Local Government Renewable Energy Self-Generation Program (Program).

The Program, enacted in 2008 by AB 2466 (Laird), created a comprehensive net metering program, allowing a municipality or public entity to generate electricity in one location and receive a bill credit, or a net-metered tariff for a meter in another location. The program sets the limit at one megawatt for local governments and limits the statewide capacity for the three largest investor-owned utilities to 250 megawatts. AB 512 would increase the current limit from one to five megawatts. CSAC supports this bill because it would provide cities and counties with more flexibility and encourage the development of more renewable sources, saving local governments money and helping California achieve its greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy goals. This bill will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 11, 2011.

Solid Waste

AB 525 (Gordon) – Support
As Amended April 25, 2011

AB 525, by Assembly Member Rich Gordon, would extend the sunset date of the Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery’s (Cal Recycle) Tire Recycling Program to June 30, 2015. The bill would also provide increased grant opportunities to local agencies for projects that use waste tires. CSAC supports this bill because it would provide local governments with funding opportunities for waste tire reuse and recycling. This bill will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 11, 2011.