BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 909
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 6, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   SB 909 (La Malfa) - As Amended:  April 13, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Environmental 
          Safety       Vote:                            9-0

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

           SUMMARY  

          This bill extends, from June 1, 2012, to June 1, 2017, the 
          sunset date on statute providing alternative disposal mechanisms 
          for treated wood waste, and makes other technical changes.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  .  The author contends extending the sunset date on 
            the treated wood waste statute continues to provide statutory 
            guidance on proper disposal.  The author further contends the 
            alternative disposal mechanisms authorized by the statute make 
            disposal of treated wood waste more convenient and less 
            costly, thereby increasing the likelihood of proper disposal.

           2)Background.   According to regulations of the Department of 
            Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), treated wood waste is wood 
            treated with a chemical preservative for purposes of 
            protecting the wood against attacks from insects, 
            microorganisms, fungi, and harmful other environmental 
            conditions and the chemical preservative is registered 
            pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
            Rodenticide Act.  Many of the substances used to treat such 
            wood are known to be harmful to human health and the 
            environment, under certain circumstances.

            AB 1353 (Matthews, Chapter 597, Statutes of 2004), which 
            includes a sunset date of June 1, 2012, requires treated wood 
            waste be disposed of in certain types of hazardous waste 







                                                                  SB 909
                                                                  Page  2

            landfills or a composite-lined portion of a solid waste 
            landfill unit.  AB 1353, and regulations adopted by DTSC 
            pursuant to statute, provides handling and disposal standards 
            less stringent than similar standards for other hazardous 
            wastes.  AB 1353 requires the DTSC, by June 1, 2011, to 
            prepare and post on its website a report that makes a 
            determination regarding the implementation and compliance rate 
            with statutory requirements.  

           3)Support.   This bill is supported by the Western Wood 
            Preservers Institute (sponsor) and a long list of industry 
            organizations.  

          4)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
             

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