BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 221
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 17, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                  AB 221 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended:  April 4, 2013

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill updates the definition of recycled concrete in the  
          Public Resources Code (PRC) to reference the California Green  
          Building Standards Code (GBSC), the California Building Code and  
          Caltrans Standard Specifications.  This bill also revises  
          legislative findings stating the environmental benefits of  
          recycling concrete.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)States legislative findings and declarations relating to the  
            environmental and economic benefits of recycling concrete,  
            such as reducing waste, promoting conservation, and maximizing  
            the efficient use of natural resources.

          2)Updates the definition of recycled concrete to include mix  
            designs or aggregate gradations of reclaimed concrete material  
            that are in accordance with the specifications of the  
            California Building Code (CBC) and Green Building Standards  
            Code (GBSC).

          3)Corrects obsolete statutory references to the Uniform Building  
            Code.

           FISCAL EFFECT 

          Negligible fiscal impact.

           COMMENTS

          1)Purpose.   This bill updates the definition of recycled  
            concrete in the PRC to reference the current standards in  
            other codes and regulations, most significantly the GBSC.  The  








                                                                  AB 221
                                                                  Page  2

            GBSC was adopted in 2009 and includes provisions to encourage  
            the recycling of reclaimed concrete aggregates and water in  
            concrete production to help reduce negative impacts on the  
            environment.

            According to the author, by linking the GBSC and other codes  
            to the definition of recycled concrete, this bill will promote  
            greenhouse gas reductions and other resource conservation  
            benefits associated with recycling concrete, particularly wet  
            concrete.  Wet concrete or returned concrete is the unused  
            concrete that remains in the truck and often ends up in  
            landfills.

          2)  Background.   The standards for recycled concrete are  
            referenced in Section A5.405.4 (for recycled content values)  
            and Section A5.405.4.5 (for specific ingredients of recycled  
            concrete) of California Green Building Standards Code (Part  
            11, Title 24, California Code of Regulations).  Additionally,  
            Chapter 19 of the California Building Code (Part 2, Title 24,  
            California Code of Regulations) is devoted to concrete  
            provisions and contains referenced standards (American  
            Concrete Institute and American Society of Testing and  
            Materials, both mentioned in AB 221) contained in Chapter 35  
            of the same code.

           



          Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081