BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 921
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 18, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 921 (Allen) - As Amended:  April 25, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              
          AgricultureVote:5-3

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, in 
          conjunction with the Department of Water Resources (DWR), to 
          oversee a study or studies conducted by the University of 
          California Extension Service, in partnership with local water 
          districts, agricultural interests and compost producers, to 
          measure increases in water use efficiency through the use of 
          compost in agricultural settings, and other potential benefits 
          from the use of compost, with regard to climate change.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          One-time costs over a three-year period to the Department of 
          Food and Agriculture of about $300,000 to fund research 
          projects, such as compost application to agricultural soils on 
          water efficiency, and about $50,000 for scientific staff to 
          monitor the studies.  (Special fund.)

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   The author and the California Compost Coalition 
            (sponsor) contend compost studies to date may have 
            underestimated the potential benefits of compost relative to 
            water use efficiency and that field studies may provide better 
            data.

           2)Background.   Compost is a product resulting from the 
            controlled biological decomposition of organic wastes, 
            including vegetables, yard and wood wastes that are 
            nonahazardous and that are separated from the municipal solid 
            waste stream.  The Department of Recycling and Resources 








                                                                  AB 921
                                                                  Page  2

            Recovery (Calrecycle) is authorized to promote the use of 
            compost in agricultural applications.  In addition, the Air 
            Resources Board, in implementing the greenhouse gas reduction 
            goals required by AB 32 (Núñez, Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006) 
            has called for increasing diversion of waste materials from 
            landfills through methods such as composting.  
                 
            3)Support.   This bill is supported by the California Compost 
            Coalition (sponsor) and the California Refuse Recycling 
            Council.  
                 
            4)There is no formal opposition registered to this bill. 
                

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081