BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 1045


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          Date of Hearing:  April 29, 2015


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                                 Jimmy Gomez, Chair


          AB  
          1045 (Irwin) - As Amended April 20, 2015


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  NoReimbursable:    
          No


          SUMMARY:


          This bill requires the California Environmental Protection  
          Agency (CalEPA) to establish policies to encourage recycling of  
          organic waste, and to coordinate the oversight and regulation of  








                                                                    AB 1045


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          organic waste recycling facilities.  Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Requires CalEPA to coordinate with CalRecycle, to develop and  
            implement policies to divert organic waste from landfills by  
            promoting the use of agricultural, forestry, and urban organic  
            waste as feedstock for compost and by promoting the  
            appropriate use of that compost throughout the state.  


          2)Requires CalEPA to work with California Department of Food and  
            Agriculture (CDFA) to establish policies to reduce at least  
            five million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per  
            year through the development and application of compost on  
            working lands, as specified


          3) Requires CalEPA to convene CalRecycle, the State Water  
            Resources Control Board (SWRCB), and the Air Resources Board  
            (ARB) to ensure proper coordination of agency regulations and  
            goals.  


          FISCAL EFFECT:


          1)Potential increased costs of less than $150,000 for CalRecycle  
            to develop and implement policies to divert organic waste.


          2)Absorbable costs for CalEPA to coordinate and implement the  
            requirements of the bill, through its Interagency Workgroup on  
            Composting 


          3)Absorbable costs for SWRCB, ARB and CDFA.


          COMMENTS:








                                                                    AB 1045


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          1)Purpose.  According to the author, there are multiple agencies  
            involved in the policy making regarding the feedstock,  
            transportation, development, and ultimate usage of compost.   
            This bill establishes a statewide policy to promote the  
            development and deployment of compost to help agriculture and  
            the rural economy, meet the state's diversion goals and reduce  
            greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.


          2)Background.   Three entities within CalEPA are involved in  
            regulating compost facilities.  ARB and local air districts  
            oversee air emissions, SWRCB and regional water quality  
            control boards regulate wastewater discharges and CalRecycle  
            requires compost facilities to be permitted and regulates  
            general facility operations.  

            According to CalEPA, the Interagency Workgroup on Composting  
            was established to achieve the reduction of at least five  
            million metric tons of GHG emissions per year through the  
            development of compost on working lands.


            This bill will ensure CalEPA coordinates among its boards and  
            commissions and with CDFA to achieve these goals.


          3)Organic Waste and GHG Emissions.  Recycling organic waste  
            provides significant GHG reductions over landfilling.   
            Composting and other organics processing technologies,  
            including anaerobic digestion, reduce GHGs by avoiding the  
            emissions that would be generated by the material's  
            decomposition in a landfill.  Landfill gas is generated by the  
            decomposition of organic materials such as food, paper, wood,  
            and yard waste.  
            










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            Fifty percent of landfill gas is methane, a GHG that is 21  
            times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.   
            While most modern landfills have systems in place to capture  
            methane, significant amounts continue to escape into the  
            atmosphere.  According to ARB's GHG inventory, approximately 7  
            million tons of CO2 equivalent are released annually by  
            landfills.  That number is expected to increase to 8.5 million  
            tons of CO2 equivalent by 2020.





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