BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                 AB 25
                                                                       

                      SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
                        Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
                              2009-2010 Regular Session
                                           
           BILL NO:    AB 25             
           AUTHOR:     Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials  
           Cmt.
           AMENDED:    July 15, 2010
           FISCAL:     Yes               HEARING DATE:     August 2, 2010
           URGENCY:    Yes               CONSULTANT:       Caroll  
           Mortensen
            
           SUBJECT  :    HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATOR IDENTIFICATION
                       NUMBERS

            SUMMARY  :    
           
            Existing law  authorizes the Department of Toxic Substances  
           Control (DTSC) to impose an annual verification fee upon all  
           generators, transporters, and facility operators with 50 or  
           more employees that possess a valid hazardous waste  
           identification number (ID number) issued either by DTSC or by  
           the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).   
           (Health and Safety Code 25205.16).

           This bill  :  

           1) Requires DTSC, by July 1, 2011, to provide a method for the  
              immediate reactivation, by means of a wireless  
              communication device, of a suspended ID number of a  
              hazardous waste generator.

           2) Requires DTSC to impose a fee on generators for the  
              reactivation of an ID number to cover the costs of the  
              implementation of this new program.

            COMMENTS  :

            1)Identification Number  .  According to DTSC, this number,  
             issued either by the US EPA or by DTSC identifies each  
             handler of hazardous waste on hazardous waste manifests and  
             other paperwork.  The ID number enables regulators to track  
             the waste from its origin to final disposal.  With some  









                                                                 AB 25
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             limited exceptions, most hazardous waste generators must  
             have an ID number before a registered hazardous waste  
             transporter will accept the waste for shipment.  All  
             hazardous waste transporters and permitted treatment,  
             storage and disposal facilities must have ID numbers. ID  
             numbers are site-specific and owner-specific.

           Hazardous waste falls into two categories in California:   
             waste regulated by US EPA under the Resource Conservation  
             and Recovery Act is known as "RCRA waste"; and waste  
             regulated by California law alone is known as "non-RCRA" or  
             "California-only" waste.  All hazardous waste in California  
             (RCRA and non-RCRA) is regulated under state statutes and  
             regulations.  If a business generates more than 1 kilogram  
             of RCRA acutely hazardous waste per month or more than 100  
             kilograms of other RCRA waste per month, they must have a  
             federal ID number.

           California DTSC issues California ID numbers for generators,  
             transporters, and treatment, storage, and disposal  
             facilities that handle hazardous wastes not regulated under  
             RCRA. DTSC deactivates California ID numbers that are not  
             renewed annually.  A holder of a deactivated California ID  
             number can apply for reactivation; however, it takes DTSC  
             three to five business days to process such reactivation  
             requests.

           2)Related Legislation  .  AB 2388 (Miller, 2010) contained the  
             same language that is in AB 25.  AB 2388 was held in  
             Assembly Appropriations Committee.

            SOURCE  :        Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic  
                          Materials Cmt.  

           SUPPORT  :       None on file  

           OPPOSITION  :    None on file