Solid Waste

SB 498 (Lara) – Support
As Amended January 27, 2014

SB 498, by Senator Ricardo Lara, is the CSAC/ LA County co-sponsored measure on conversion technology. The bill will be heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Monday, June 16th and in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on June 17th. CSAC, LA County and the author’s office were just recently notified by Cal Recycle that they have suggested amendments to the bill. These amendments seek to assert more control over biomass, both traditional and CT by requiring facilities to report to Cal Recycle information on what feedstock they are accepting and information regarding who supplies various materials. We are currently evaluating these amendments and in discussions with stakeholders, including the Committee consultants. 

AB 1826 (Chesbro) – Support if Amended
As Amended April 22, 2014

AB 1826, by Assembly Member Wes Chesbro, would establish a commercial organics recycling program in California. CSAC has been working extensively with the author, Administration and stakeholders in developing this legislation, ensuring that is workable for local governments. Specifically, this bill would require large generators of organic waste to arrange for recycling services. The bill also requires local governments to develop an organics program, providing outreach and education to effected entities. CSAC has been actively involved in negotiations on the bill over the last 6 months and currently have a support- if- amended position on the bill. The latest draft includes a rural exemption for jurisdictions within a rural county, defined as a county with a population of 100,000 & under. This is the most substantive change; however, we are in the process of negotiating several smaller, finer points. The bill will be heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on June 25, 2014. 

AB 1594 (Williams) – Concerns
As Amended April 21, 2014

AB 1594, by Assembly Member Das Williams, would eliminate the solid waste diversion credit for green waste used as Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) at a solid waste landfill. ADC is the cover material other than earthen material placed on the surface of the active face of a solid waste landfill at the end of each operating day to control vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and scavenging. Cal Recycle has approved a list of acceptable ADC materials, which includes green material, such as lawn and tree trimmings. Currently, jurisdictions receive solid waste diversion credit for the use of green material as ADC. This bill would eliminate the solid waste diversion credit for the use of green waste as ADC at landfills by 2020. While CSAC has traditionally opposed bills that remove diversion credit for ADC, we recognize that counties will not need this tool to reach their 50% diversion in 2020. CSAC had a concerns position with the bill based the $1.40 fee disposal fee that would be imposed on ADC after 2020. An exemption from this fee has since been included in the bill. In addition, the author is accepting amendments that would allow jurisdictions (mostly cities) that would fall below 50% without ADC diversion credit to be able to receive an extension and create a plan to meet their 50% diversion requirements. Based on these amendments, CSAC will be removing our concerns position from the bill and move to a neutral position. 

CEQA

SB 674 (Corbett) – Support
As Amended January 6, 2014

SB 674, by Senator Ellen Corbett, will be heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Monday, June 16th. SB 674 bill would make a simple change to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) infill exemption. In 2002, SB 1925 (Sher) created a number of new provisions to encourage the development of affordable housing for agricultural workers, as well as infill projects in urbanized areas. Included in these provisions was the infill exemption for housing projects that meet certain size and location criteria, as well as relying on a specified level of previously adopted environmental review. The approved criteria also allowed for the inclusion of a limited amount of neighborhood-serving goods, services and retail uses up to 15% of the total floor area. This bill would simply increase the current maximum total floor area from 15% to 25% maximum of the total building square footage. Counties have been unable to use this tool in the past because the criteria are too stringent to be realistically implemented. This bill would help counties take advantage of this tool, making the exemption more feasible for smart growth projects.