BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 812
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 19, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                     AB 812 (Ma) - As Amended:  January 12, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              
          TransportationVote:14-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Authorizes Caltrans, through its Caltrans/Industry Rock 
            Products Committee, to establish specifications, by January 1, 
            2014, for the use of up to 40% reclaimed asphalt pavement 
            (RAP) in hot asphalt mixes.

          2)Requires Caltrans to report to the Legislature by March 1, 
            2016 on its progress since 2011 in developing and implementing 
            the specifications per (1).

           FISCAL EFFECT 

          Minor absorbable costs for Caltrans to establish the 
          specifications and complete the required report.

           COMMENTS  

           Background and Purpose  . According to the author, the intent of 
          this bill is to encourage increased use of recycled materials, 
          thereby increasing conservation of natural resources. RAP (the 
          term given to reprocessed materials containing asphalt pavement) 
          is created when asphalt pavements are crushed, screened, and 
          recoated with a binder before being re-applied as pavement. 
          Current Caltrans specifications allow for the use of up to 15% 
          RAP in an asphalt surface paving mix.  

          Caltrans has been working toward the development of a 
          specification allowing increased use of RAP in surface paving 
          projects. The author and sponsors, however, contend that 








                                                                  AB 812
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          Caltrans had been taking too long to finalize and release the 
          specification.   

          In discussions on a prior version of this bill last year, 
          Caltrans agreed that development of a specification allowing up 
          to 25% RAP was overdue and committed to fast-track completion of 
          the specification, which was released in draft on October 27, 
          2011, and is now in use.  Caltrans will be further testing the 
          specification in the coming year in anticipation of increasing 
          the allowable percentage of RAP in surface paving projects up to 
          40%, where applicable.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081