BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 221
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 221 (Quirk-Silva)
As Amended April 29, 2013
Majority vote
NATURAL RESOURCES 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Chesbro, Grove, Bigelow, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Garcia, Muratsuchi, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Patterson, Skinner, | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Stone, Williams | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Hall, Holden, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, |
| | | |Ammiano |
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SUMMARY : Updates legislative findings and declarations to state
the benefits of recycling concrete and updates the definition of
recycled concrete to reference compliance with the California
Green Building Standards Code (GBSC). 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 GBSC.
3)Corrects obsolete statutory references to the Uniform Building
Code (UBC).
EXISTING LAW :
1)Defines recycled concrete to mean reclaimed concrete material
used in concrete mixtures in accordance with the most current
edition of the Greenbook Standard Specifications for Public
Works, including mix designs or aggregate gradations of
reclaimed concrete material that are in accordance with
American Concrete Institute, American Society of Testing and
Materials (ASTM), International Building Code, International
Residential Code, UBC, or Department of Transportation
AB 221
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(CalTrans) Standard Specifications.
2)Exempts reclaimed concrete material in compliance with ASTM-94
specifications.
3)Authorizes the use of recycled concrete if a user has been
fully informed, either orally or in writing and by delivery
receipt at delivery acceptance, that the concrete may contain
recycled materials.
4)Prohibits recycled concrete from being offered, provided, or
sold to CalTrans or the Department of General Services (DGS)
for any use, including but not limited to, any project under
its affiliation, contract authority, or oversight
responsibility, unless specifically requested and approved by
the department.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, negligible fiscal impact.
COMMENTS : Concrete is one of the most popular construction
materials used in a variety of applications and settings. Not
all concrete, however, is utilized in projects; about 2% to 7%
of returned concrete (wet, unused concrete that remains in the
truck) returns unused to batch plants. According to a 2008
Statewide Waste Characterization Study by the Department of
Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), all forms of
concrete represent 1.2%, or approximately 483,367 tons, of the
state's waste disposal stream.
The disposal of returned concrete can pose significant
environmental and economic costs. Demand for new concrete
drives mining operations for gravel, stone, and other natural
resources used in mix designs. Managing returned concrete
imposes handling, transportation and storage costs, which
contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Returned
concrete material also often ends up in landfills, taking up
unnecessary space.
CalRecycle, along with private industry, encourage the recycling
of returned concrete to address the environmental and economic
costs of disposal. Returned hardened concrete is increasingly
being crushed for future use as aggregate for new concrete or as
base material. According to the author, "While all re-uses and
recycling of concrete options are beneficial for the
AB 221
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conservation of natural resources, the re-use of returned
plastic (wet) concrete provides the opportunity to optimize both
resource conservation and the embodied energy of the original
concrete batch."
This bill is intended to encourage the use of returned plastic
concrete by authorizing compliance with CBC and GBSC.
Additionally, the author states that "AB 221 will help achieve
current AB 32 goals by encouraging the recycling of concrete by
adding code reference to the GBSC in the statute. This links the
concrete recycling provisions in the GBSC to the current statute
and ensures that link remains as the GBSC expands."
Analysis Prepared by : Melissa Sayoc / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN: 0000286