BILL ANALYSIS Ķ
AB 997
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 997 (Chesbro)
As Introduced February 22, 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 : Defines anaerobic digestion in the Integrated Waste
Management Act of 1989 (Act) and amends the definition of
composting to include anaerobic digestion processes.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Defines the term "anaerobic digestion" for purposes of the Act
as a process using the bacterial breakdown of compostable
organic material in a controlled environment that meets the
parameters that may be established by the Department of
Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
2)Authorizes CalRecycle to establish parameters for a controlled
environment in which anaerobic digestion processes may occur.
3)Amends the definition of "composting" to include anaerobic
digestion.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Act, which is administered by CalRecycle. The
Act requires each county, city, and regional agency, if any,
to divert 50% of solid waste disposed by their jurisdictions
from landfill disposal.
2)Establishes a state policy goal that 75% of solid waste
generated be diverted from landfill disposal by 2020.
AB 997
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3)Defines the term "composting" as the controlled or
uncontrolled biological decomposition of organic wastes.
4)Defines the term "solid waste facility" to include a
composting facility.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill has negligible costs to CalRecycle.
COMMENTS : Anaerobic digestion refers to the controlled
biological decomposition of organic material with little or no
oxygen. The decomposition of organic materials in solid waste
landfills produces significant amounts of methane, a potent
greenhouse gas. Anaerobic digestion can help California reduce
greenhouse gas emissions under the Global Warming Solutions Act
of 2006, AB 32 (Nuņez) Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006, by
diverting organic materials from landfills, generate low-carbon
fuels, and assist with meeting the state's 75% recycling goal.
In the United States, anaerobic digestion is already widely used
to manage wastewater treatment wastes and dairy manure.
Municipal solid waste digesters are already common in parts of
Europe to produce alternative energy and to manage the solid
waste stream. There are a number of new and proposed anaerobic
digesters in California that are intended to accept organic
materials (primarily food waste and yard trimmings) for
recycling.
This bill contributes to these objectives by defining anaerobic
digestion in the Act and updating the definition of composting
to include anaerobic digestion processes. These changes will
ensure that anaerobic digestion facilities are treated
comparably to composting facilities under the Act.
Analysis Prepared by : Melissa Sayoc / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN: 0000228
AB 997
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