BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 221|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 221
Author: Quirk-Silva (D)
Amended: 6/10/13 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/19/13
AYES: Hill, Gaines, Calderon, Corbett, Fuller, Hancock,
Jackson, Leno, Pavley
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/2/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Recycled concrete
SOURCE : California Construction and Industrial Materials
Association
DIGEST : This bill updates legislative findings and
declarations to state the benefits of recycling concrete and
updates the definition of recycled concrete to reference
compliance with the California Green Building Standards Code
(GBSC).
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1.Provides that the policy of the state is to conserve and
protect resources by encouraging the recycling of solid waste
CONTINUED
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and the purchase of those recycled materials.
2.Authorizes the use of recycled concrete materials, as defined,
if the user has been fully informed that the concrete may
contain recycled concrete materials.
3.Prohibits recycled concrete from being offered, provided, or
sold to the Department of Transportation or the Department of
General Services for any use unless specifically requested and
approved by that department.
4.Defines "recycled concrete" as reclaimed concrete material
used in concrete mixtures in accordance with specified
standards.
This bill:
1.Updates legislative findings and declarations to state the
benefits of recycling concrete and updates the definition of
recycled concrete to reference compliance with the GBSC.
2.States legislative findings and declarations relating to the
environmental and economic benefits of recycling concrete,
such as reducing waste, promoting conservation, and maximizing
the efficient use of natural resources.
3.Updates the definition of recycled concrete to include mix
designs or aggregate gradations of reclaimed concrete material
that are in accordance with the specifications of the
California Building Code and GBSC.
4.Corrects obsolete statutory references to the Uniform Building
Code (UBC).
Background
There are approximately 100 producers of recycled concrete in
California. Concrete recycling is a method of using the rubble
from structures made of concrete that are demolished or
renovated. Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is produced by
crushing concrete to reclaim the aggregate. The primary use or
market for recycled concrete is road base; in paved roads as
aggregate base, aggregate sub-base, and shoulders, or surfacing
for gravel roads. Other uses include base for building
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foundations, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks - all of which are
considered flat work. On the other hand, for work not
considered flat, RCA may not be considered suitable. In
comparative tests of columns made of RCA and natural concrete
aggregate, RCA showed similar bearing capacity with natural
concrete aggregate but demonstrated significantly greater
deformations. (Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology,
"Comparative Tests of Beams and Columns Made of Recycled
Aggregate Concrete and Natural Aggregate Concrete" 2007)
Recycling of concrete has two primary environmental benefits:
reducing the amount of waste going into landfills and reducing
the depletion of natural sources used for aggregate. Asphalt
and concrete make up approximately 2.4% of California's disposed
waste stream, which is over 977,000 tons.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/13)
California Construction and Industrial Materials Association
(source)
7/11 Materials, Inc.
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Bender Ready Mix, Inc.
California Construction Trucking Association
California Nevada Cement Association
DHE, Inc.
Elementis Specialties, Inc.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Co.
SESPE Consulting, Inc.
Specialty Minerals, Inc.
Syar Industries, Inc. and Syar Concrete LLC
Vulcan Materials Company, West Region
Werner Corporation
West Coast Aggregates, Inc.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, with
the current statute being enacted prior to the adoption of both
AB 32 (Nu�ez, Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006) and the CGBS, this
statute needs to be updated to reference the California GBSC and
more clearly state the resource conservation and sustainability
benefits from recycling reclaimed concrete materials. This bill
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will help achieve current AB 32 goals by encouraging the
recycling of concrete by adding code reference to the GBSC in
current statute. This links the concrete recycling provisions
in the GBSC to the current statute and ensures that link remains
as the GBSC expands. This bill also removes the incorrect
references to the UBC and updates it to reference the California
Building Standards Code. Finally, this bill updates the
findings to clearly state the specific resource conservation and
sustainability benefits from recycling, as well as conveys the
industry's support for green design.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/2/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown,
Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway,
Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Stone, Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Atkins, Jones, Williams, Vacancy
RM:ej 7/1/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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