BILL NUMBER: AB 2538	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Ruskin

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2008

   An act to add Division 27.5 (commencing with Section 44575) to the
Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gas emissions.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2538, as introduced, Ruskin. Greenhouse gas emissions: consumer
product labeling.
   The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the
State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with
monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases
that cause global warming in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases.
   This bill would enact the Carbon Labeling Act of 2008. The act
would require the state board to develop and implement a program for
the voluntary assessment, verification, and standardized labeling of
the carbon footprint, as defined, of consumer products sold in this
state.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Division 27.5 (commencing with Section 44575) is added
to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

      DIVISION 27.5.  The Carbon Labeling Act of 2008


      CHAPTER 1.  TITLE


   44575.  This division shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Carbon Labeling Act of 2008.
      CHAPTER 2.  FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS


   44576.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) Global warming poses a serious threat to the economic
well-being, public health, natural resources, and the environment of
California.
   (b) The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division
25.5 (commencing with Section 38500)) provides a regulatory framework
to establish and enforce greenhouse gas emission reductions.
   (c) Voluntary consumer choice can play a significant role in
helping California meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction
targets, but only if consumers have usable and reliable information
about the carbon emissions resulting from their product choices.
   (d) It has been estimated that household consumption of consumer
goods in the United States accounts for emissions of more than 15
metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalents, or about one-third of
total household emissions, per year.
   (e) The development of a voluntary carbon labeling program for
consumer products can harness the power of the marketplace to create
incentives for manufacturers to innovate and compete to reduce the
carbon footprint of their products.
      CHAPTER 3.  DEFINITIONS


   44578.  As used in this division:
   (a) "Carbon footprint" means the estimated total amount of
greenhouse gas emissions that occur as a result of the manufacture,
distribution, and sale of a product as measured in carbon dioxide
equivalent, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 38505.
   (b) "Program" means the carbon labeling program developed and
implemented pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 44580).
   (c) "State board" means the State Air Resources Board.
      CHAPTER 4.  CARBON LABELING PROGRAM


   44580.  (a) The state board shall develop and implement a program
for the voluntary assessment, verification, and labeling of the
carbon footprint of consumer products sold in this state.
   (b) The program shall do all of the following:
   (1) Establish a methodology for determining and communicating the
carbon footprint of a consumer product. If feasible, the state board
shall establish standards and methodologies for determining and
communicating to consumers on a product label whether a product has a
lower carbon footprint than the average comparable product available
in the state.
   (2) Develop a standardized, easily understandable, label that
communicates to consumers relevant information about the carbon
footprint of a consumer product.
   (3) Allow a consumer product manufacturer, on a voluntary basis,
to determine the carbon footprint of the product by applying the
criteria and standards developed by the state board, and to include
that information on the product, product packaging, and product
advertising, consistent with the labeling standards developed by the
board.
   (c) The state board shall consult with representatives of consumer
product manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmental groups,
and conduct public hearings and workshops as required to comply with
this section.
   (d) The state board may contract with appropriate experts to
develop a proposed carbon footprint methodology and carbon labeling
standard.
   (e) Consumer product manufacturers that label their products in
accordance with this chapter shall be responsible for all costs
related to the review and validation of carbon label information
required by the state board.