BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: AB 2355
          SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN              AUTHOR:  levine
                                                         VERSION: 6/11/14
          Analysis by:  Eric Thronson                    FISCAL:  yes
          Hearing date:  June 17, 2014



          SUBJECT:

          Recycled materials standards for streets and highways

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill requires every local agency responsible for any street  
          or highway to either adopt the California Department of  
          Transportation's standards for recycled road construction  
          materials or discuss why it is not adopting these standards.

          ANALYSIS:

          Existing law requires the California Department of  
          Transportation (Caltrans) to develop standards for recycled  
          paving materials and other materials used in road construction.   
          From these standards, existing law requires Caltrans to modify  
          its bid specifications relating to the purchase of road  
          construction materials in order to define in what condition  
          recycled materials must be for use in projects on the state  
          highway system.

          Existing law generally requires Caltrans to ensure that not less  
          than 50% of the asphalt it purchases every year includes a  
          certain amount of crumb rubber from recycled tires.  Existing  
          law does not specify, however, that Caltrans purchase any  
          particular level or amount of any other recycled material.

           This bill requires a local agency responsible for any street or  
          highway, by January 1, 2017, to either:

           Adopt Caltrans' standards for recycled road construction  
            materials
           Discuss at a regularly scheduled public hearing why the local  
            agency's governing body is not adopting these standards
          
          COMMENTS:





          AB 2355 (LEVINE)                                       Page 2

                                                                       


           1.Purpose  .  According to the author, this bill is intended to  
            increase the number of cities and counties using recycled  
            materials in road construction.  The author believes that if  
            cities and counties have to formally consider adopting  
            Caltrans' standards for recycled materials, the discussion  
            itself will necessarily include the benefits of using recycled  
            materials, and thus, this bill will lead to greater use of  
            recycled materials by local agencies.

           2.What's the deal with standards  ?  Caltrans has developed  
            quality standards for various types of materials in order for  
            those materials to be utilized in the construction,  
            rehabilitation, and maintenance of the state highway system.   
            Without these standards, it would be difficult for Caltrans to  
            utilize recycled materials, because it would be unclear  
            whether or not the material is of the quality necessary to  
            properly maintain the roadway.  While the standards do not  
            require Caltrans to use minimum amounts of various types of  
            recycled materials, making these materials available for use  
            necessarily leads to increased utilization, because recycled  
            materials are often less expensive than new aggregate.  This  
            bill, while not setting required minimums for local agencies,  
            is expected to lead to the same result - specifically,  
            increased use of recycled materials for local street and road  
            construction and maintenance.  

           3.Standardized standards  .  Supporters of this bill suggest one  
            advantage of encouraging local agencies to adopt Caltrans'  
            standards for recycled materials is that, by avoiding multiple  
            standards, this bill will lead to efficiencies and cost  
            savings for suppliers, contractors, and local governments.  If  
            various governmental entities have varying levels of  
            acceptability standards for recycled materials, it makes it  
            more difficult for suppliers of aggregate and other materials  
            to meet demands.  It also makes it more difficult for  
            contractors to bid on projects.  This bill can help resolve  
            this challenge by leveling the standards for everyone based on  
            Caltrans' adopted standards.
          
          Assembly Votes:

               Floor:    78-0
               Appr: 17-0
               Trans:13-0
               LGov:   9-0





          AB 2355 (LEVINE)                                       Page 3

                                                                       


          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,                                             June 11,  
          2014.)

               SUPPORT:  BoDean Company
                         California Asphalt Pavement Association
                         California Chapter of American Fence Corporation
                         California Construction and Industrial Materials  
          Association
                         California Construction Trucking Association
                         California Fence Contractors' Association
                         California Resource Recovery Association
                         Californians Against Waste
                         Cemex Construction Materials Pacific LLC
                         Chandler's Rio Santiago, LLC
                         Chandler's Sand and Gravel
                         DeSilva Gates Construction
                         Flasher Barricade Association
                         George Reed Inc. General Engineering Contractor
                         Granite Construction Incorporated
                         Granite Rock Company
                         Hanson Aggregates
                         Lehigh Hanson
                         Livingston's Concrete Service, Inc.
                         Maitri Road Recycling
                         Marin Builders Association
                         Marin County Hazardous and Solid Waste Management  
          JPA
                         P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc.
                         Sespe Consulting
                         Specialty Minerals, Inc.
                         Syar Industries, Inc.
                         Teichert Materials
                         Union Roofing Contractors Association
                         Vulcan Materials
                         Werner Corporation

               OPPOSED:  None received.