Solid Waste

AB 1063 (Williams) – Support 
As Amended April 20, 2015

AB 1063, by Assembly Member Das Williams, as currently drafted would require on or before July 1, 2016, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (Cal Recycle), to hold a public hearing and workshop to develop a proposal for the Legislature regarding a new solid waste management fee which would provide the department with the revenue necessary to carry out certain actions. CSAC has been notified that this bill will be the vehicle for landfill tipping fee reform this year. We have had initial conversations with the Administration about these efforts, but do not have any specific details to share at this time. It is anticipated that these discussions and negotiations will take place over the summer.

AB 1103 (Dodd) – Request for Comments
As Proposed to be Amended

AB 1103, by Assembly Member Dodd, is a measure related to defining food waste. According to the author, the bill will assist commercial generators and local governments in clarifying what is meant by “food waste” in order to help monitor what is being recycled and what is landfilled. Proposed amendments would take the bill further and would require the registration of transporters of food waste; require transporters to account and report the amount of food waste collected quarterly (any amount above 1 cubic yard per week); and, would enforce the transporter registration and accounting system. If you would like to review the proposed amendments, please contact Cara Martinson at cmartinson@counties.org. This bill has been referred to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. 

Climate Change

AB 590 (Dahle) – Support
As Amended May 28, 2015

AB 590, by Assembly Member Brian Dahle, would allow the use of cap and trade funds from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), upon appropriation, to be used for purposes of maintaining the current level of biomass power generation in the state and revitalizing currently idle facilities. Using biomass to produce electricity reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, the nation’s primary energy sources for electricity, and the largest contributors to air pollution and greenhouse gases. Biomass energy is also an on-demand renewable source of energy not reliant on the sun or wind. CSAC supports this bill because it would enable the use GGRF funds to help support and maintain biomass energy in California. This bill will be heard in the Senate Energy Committee on June 30, 2015.

CEQA

AB 291 (Medina) – Pending
As Amended June 10, 2015

AB 291, by Assembly Member Jose Medina, would seek to streamline the final notice of determination process for certain water projects related to water transfers under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This bill, sponsored by the Association of California Water Agencies, would require an agency to: (1) file the notice of determination (NOD) in its home county; (2) file the NOD with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR); and to send copies to all of the other counties where the project is located. This bill also allows for an addition $75 positing fee. Current law requires the filing of an NOD in each county that the water might travel through, in the case of a transfer. This bill would set up a separate process by allowing for the NOD to be filed in the home county, with OPR and notice provided to each impacted county. This bill will be heard on July 1, 2015 in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

State Adopts Emergency Outdoor Landscape Irrigation Building Standards

Consistent with the Governor’s Executive Order B-29-15, the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) recently adopted mandatory outdoor landscape irrigation building standards applicable to newly constructed residential and nonresidential buildings, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, correctional treatment facilities, public elementary and secondary schools and community colleges. The emergency standards became effective on June 1, 2015, and will expire after 180 days unless extended, or replaced with a final adoption of building standards. The purpose of the emergency standards is to ensure that these types of newly constructed buildings permitted on or after June 1, include water-efficient landscape irrigation. Details are included in the CBSC Bulletin 15-02 at: BSC_Bulletin.