BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1045
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1045 (Irwin)
As Amended April 20, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
|----------------+------+----------------------+----------------------|
|Natural |6-0 |Williams, Cristina | |
|Resources | |Garcia, McCarty, | |
| | |Rendon, Mark Stone, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+----------------------+----------------------|
|Appropriations |12-0 |Gomez, Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Rendon, Weber, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires the California Environmental Protection Agency
(CalEPA) to establish policies to encourage recycling of organic
waste and coordinate the oversight and regulation of organic waste
recycling facilities. Specifically, this bill:
AB 1045
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1)Requires CalEPA, in coordination with the Department of
Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), to develop and
implement policies to aid in diverting 50% of organic waste from
landfills by 2020 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)Establishes, and requires CalEPA to establish policies that
promote, a goal of reducing 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.
Authorizes CalEPA to work with the California Department of Food
and Agriculture (CDFA) to achieve this goal.
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 to implement this section.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
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.
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COMMENTS: According to the author, this bill "establishes a
statewide policy to promote the development and deployment of
compost? AB 1045 identifies the need for the state to look at
compost as a valuable resource, one that helps agriculture and the
rural economy, and also reduces GHG emissions and helps our state
meet its waste diversion goals."
CalRecycle is tasked with diverting at least 75% of solid waste
statewide by 2020. Organic materials make up one-third of the
waste stream and food continues to be the highest single item
disposed at over 15% of materials landfilled. CalRecycle is also
charged with implementing its Strategic Directive 6.1, which calls
for reducing organic waste disposal by 50% by 2020. According to
CalRecycle, significant gains in organic waste diversion are
necessary to meet the 75% goal and implementing Strategic
Directive 6.1. Recycling technologies for organic waste include
composting, anaerobic digestion, and other types of processing
that generate renewable fuels, energy, soil amendments, and mulch.
Compost and other soil amendments that can be produced from
organic materials have been shown to improve soil health by
incorporating organic matter, beneficial micro-organisms, and
nutrients and reduce the need for chemical pesticides and
fertilizers. These products also conserve water by allowing water
to penetrate the soil more quickly and decreasing runoff.
According to ARB, a total reduction of 80 million metric tons
(MMT), or 16% compared to business as usual, is necessary to
reduce statewide GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. ARB
intends to achieve approximately 78% of the reductions through
direct regulations. ARB proposes to achieve the balance of
reductions necessary to meet the 2020 limit (approximately 18 MMT)
through its cap-and-trade program.
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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. Fifty percent of landfill gas is methane, a GHG that
is 34 times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide
(CO2). 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.
Three of CalEPA's entities are involved in regulating compost
facilities. ARB and local air districts oversee air emissions.
For example, the South Coast Air Quality Management District
requires that all new compost facilities located within its
jurisdiction to be fully enclosed and meet specified requirements
for emissions for any vented emissions. SWRCB and regional water
quality control boards regulate wastewater discharges and recently
adopted general waste discharge requirements for composting
operations that include, among other requirements, no storm water
runoff from the site. CalRecycle requires that compost facilities
are permitted and regulates general facility operations.
While all of these entities are acting appropriately within their
jurisdiction, there is little coordination between them to ensure
that the requirements are consistent with the overall waste
reduction and GHG emissions reduction goals of the state. This
bill would require CalEPA to ensure coordination among its boards
and departments.
Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth
MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092 FN: 0000247
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