BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 104
                                                                  Page  1

          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 104 (Oropeza)
          As Amended  September 4, 2009
          Majority vote

           SENATE VOTE  :   21-17
            
           NATURAL RESOURCES   6-3         APPROPRIATIONS      11-5        
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Skinner, Brownley,        |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano,         |
          |     |Chesbro,                  |     |Calderon, Coto, Davis,    |
          |     |De Leon, Hill, Huffman    |     |Fuentes, Hall, John A.    |
          |     |                          |     |Perez, Skinner, Solorio,  |
          |     |                          |     |Torlakson                 |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |Nays:|Gilmore, Knight, Logue    |Nays:|Nielsen, Duvall, Harkey,  |
          |     |                          |     |Miller, Strickland        |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :  Adds nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) to the list of  
          greenhouse gases (GHG) regulated by the Air Resources Board  
          (ARB) pursuant to the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB  
          32).

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Requires ARB, by January 1, 2011, to adopt GHG emission limits  
            and emission reduction measures by regulation to achieve the  
            maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective GHG  
            emission reductions, to become operative beginning January 1,  
            2012.

          2)Defines GHG to include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,  
            hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, negligible costs.

           COMMENTS  :  Recent scientific studies have shown NF3 to be an  
          extremely potent GHG.  NF3 is not included in the list of six  
          GHGs in AB 32, which was based on the gases included in the  
          Kyoto Protocol negotiated through the UN Framework in 1997.  The  
          author cites two 2008 studies regarding NF3 and notes that NF3  








                                                                  SB 104
                                                                  Page  2

          "was not widely used in the 1990s when the Kyoto Protocol was  
          negotiated, and until these two studies were released many in  
          science, industry and government believed that NF3 was a  
          harmless replacement to other damaging gases used by  
          industries."  According to the author, studies found that NF3  
          has a global warming potential 17,000 times greater than CO2,  
          persists in the atmosphere 550 years, and is used in the  
          manufacture of several consumer items, including photovoltaic  
          solar panels, LCD television screens, and microprocessors.


           Analysis Prepared by  :   Lawrence Lingbloom / NAT. RES. / (916)  
          319-2092


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