AB 1904, as amended, Wilk. Hazardous materials: natural gas odorants.
Existing law authorizes the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt, amend, and repeal occupational safety and health standards and orders. Existing regulations adopted pursuant to that authorization require natural gas that is delivered into any vessel or system, as specified, to have a distinctive odor of sufficient intensity so that the presence of the gas may be detected down to concentrations in air of not over 20% of the lower explosive limit, and require that these odorants be, among other things, harmless to humans, nontoxic, and noncorrosive to certain metals.
This bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2019, that includes an assessment ofbegin delete theend deletebegin insert
any potentialend insert danger of odorants currently used in natural gas storage facilities in the state to public health and safety and the environment, and that identifies alternative odorants for possible use in natural gas storage facilities, as specified.begin insert The bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to consult with appropriate entities, as specified.end insert
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 26250)
2is added to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
3
On or before January 1, 2019, the Office of
7Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall submit a report
8to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the
9Government Code, that includes all of the following:
10(a) An assessment ofbegin delete theend deletebegin insert any potentialend insert danger of odorants
11currently used in natural gas storage facilities in the state to public
12health and safety and the environment.
13(b) Alternative odorants identified by the Office of
14Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment for possible use in
15natural gas storage facilities that pose a lower risk to public health
16and safety and the environment. The Office of Environmental
17Health Hazard Assessment shall evaluate the following issues for
18every alternative odorant identified:
19(1) The feasibility of using the alternative odorant in natural
20gas storage facilities.
21(2) Any risks of using the alternative odorant, including, but
22not limited to, the risks of unwanted chemicalbegin delete reactions andend delete
23begin insert reactions,end insert increasedbegin delete corrosion.end deletebegin insert
corrosion, and potential risks to
24public health and safety.end insert
25(3) The effectiveness of the alternative odorant at warning of a
26natural gas leak.
27
(c) The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
28shall consult with appropriate entities including, but not limited
29to, odorant producers, appropriate state agencies or federal
P3 1agencies, or both, and interested parties with germane existing
2scientific research.
3
(d) For purposes of this chapter, “odorant” means any material
4added to natural gas to impart a distinct odor so that the natural
5gas is readily detectable by a
person with a normal sense of smell.
Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code,
7this chapter is repealed on January 1, 2021.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
9immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
10the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
11immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
12In order to immediately begin assessing the danger of odorants
13in natural gas, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.
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