BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1507
                                                                  Page 1


          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
          AB 1507 (Block)
          As Introduced  February 27, 2009
          Majority vote 

           ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY          7-0                    
          APPROPRIATIONS      13-3                            
           
           ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Chesbro, Miller, Davis,   |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles   |
          |     |Feuer, Monning, Ruskin,   |     |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes,   |
          |     |Smyth                     |     |Hall, John A. Perez, Price, |
          |     |                          |     |Skinner, Solorio, Audra     |
          |     |                          |     |Strickland, Torlakson,      |
          |     |                          |     |Krekorian                   |
          |     |                          |     |                            |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+----------------------------|
          |     |                          |Nays:|Nielsen, Duvall, Harkey,    |
          |     |                          |     |                            |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :  Establishes the Chrome Plating and Metal Finishing  
          Pollution Prevention Grant Program (Grant Program).   
          Specifically,  this bill  :

          1)Modifies the existing Metal Plating Facility Loan Guarantee  
            program from a loan program to a grant program for metal  
            plating companies and renames it the Grant Program.

          2)Requires the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) to  
            operate the Grant Program.

          3)Removes the existing January 1, 2012, sunset date from the  
            renamed Grant Program.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, one-time cost, in the range of a few hundred thousand  
          dollars, to DTSC to develop regulations as well as ongoing costs  
          of up to $1 million annually to administer and award grants to  
          metal plating facilities.
           
          COMMENTS  :  In 2005, AB 721 (Nunez) Chapter 695, Statutes of  
          2005, created a loan guarantee program to assist in funding  
          cleanup for small metal-plating businesses.  The author believes  
          that providing grants, instead of loans, and shifting the  








                                                                  AB 1507
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          program to the DTSC will assist in environmental clean up of  
          plating shops.

          There are approximately 900 shops in California that conduct  
          electro-plating.  This includes shops where electro-plating is a  
          primary and secondary activity, as well as shops manufacturing  
          circuit boards.  According to data from the DTSC, the plating  
          and polishing industry sector is the second highest hazardous  
          waste generator in California - producing nearly 70,000 tons of  
          hazardous waste per year.  Only the petroleum refining industry  
          produces more hazardous waste.

           

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Bob Fredenburg / E.S. & T.M. / (916)  
          319-3965 


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