BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1620
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1620
AUTHOR: Wieckowski
AMENDED: As Introduced
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE:May 14, 2012
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Rachel Wagoner
SUBJECT : HAZARDOUS WASTE: TREATMENT
SUMMARY :
Existing law :
1) Under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) requires anyone who owns or operates a facility
where hazardous waste is treated, stored, or disposed to
have a RCRA hazardous waste permit issued by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).
2) Requires hazardous waste treatment, storage, and
disposal facilities (TSDFs) to obtain a hazardous waste
facilities permit or other grant or authorization from the
Department of Toxic Substances Control. Generators of
hazardous waste who do not treat or store the wastes for
longer than 90 days are exempt from obtaining a permit, but
must comply with specified requirements relating to
labeling and container management, as well as training and
emergency response requirements.
3) Defines treatment of a hazardous waste as any method or
process which changes, or is designed to change, the
physical, chemical or biological character of the hazardous
waste.
4) Exempts certain hazardous waste management activities
from being regulated as "treatment" if the activity is
conducted onsite or at a facility that has obtained a
hazardous waste storage permit. The exempted activities
include sieving or filtering, phase separation, evaporation
of hazardous waste, and combining of compatible waste
AB 1620
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streams under the conditions specified. Uses of health
facility disinfecting agents (glutaraldehyde and
ortho-phthalaldehyde) are also exempt from treatment
permitting requirements.
This bill exempts the following from hazardous waste treatment
requirements if the activities are conducted onsite or at a
facility with a hazardous waste storage permit:
1) Separation of air and particulate matter by physical
means.
2) Compaction of compatible waste by physical means to
reduce volume if the process does not increase the risk of
fire or cause the release of hazardous gaseous emissions.
COMMENTS :
Purpose of Bill . The sponsor of AB 1620, California Association
of Environmental Health Administrators, contends it is
unnecessary to regulate as hazardous waste treatment low-risk
activities, such as separating airborne dust from air and
compacting oily rags, that meet the technical definition of
hazardous waste treatment. The sponsor reports that the
exemptions provided by this bill were developed by the Southern
California Technical Hazardous Waste Advisory Group to the
Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Forum Board.
SOURCE : California Association of Environmental Health
Administrators
SUPPORT : None on file.
OPPOSITION : None on file.