AB 341 (Chesbro) - Jobs and Recycling

Summary. AB 341 would create green jobs by expanding recycling to every multi-family dwelling and business and would charge CalRecycle with the responsibility for ensuring that the state is recycling at least 75% of the garbage that it generates by 2020.

Position and Status.

CAW Supports.

UPDATE! Governor Brown Signed AB 341!

AB 583 (Knight) - Consolidate E-waste Program

Summary. consolidate the E-waste program by transfering DTSC powers to CalRecycle.

Position and Status. Watch. Inactive in Asm. Env Safety and Toxic Materials committee.

AB 1019 (Perez) - Carpet Stewardship

Summary. would reenact AB 2398, the Carpet Stewardship Bill passed last year.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 1019 is dead for the year.

AB 1178 (Ma) - Prohibition on Local Disposal Limits

Summary.  AB 1178 prohibits local governments from limiting disposal of imported waste.

Position and Status. CAW Opposes.

AB 1178 is in Senate Environmental Quality Committee and will be eligible to be heard next year.

Description. Landfills have a significant impact on the communities in which they are located, contributing to air pollution and ground water contamination, creating significant nuisances, and often leaving the jurisdiction on the hook for a sizable unassured financial liability after the closure of the landfill. Nonetheless, local governments are responsible for ensuring that their communities have 15 years of disposal capacity, and AB 1178 prohibits a community from approving a limited landfill expansion for the needs of that community—since the community would not be able to limit the importation of waste, the landfill capacity would go to the highest bidder.

AB 812 (Ma) - Recycled Concrete and Asphalt

Summary.  AB 812 would increase the allowable amount of recycled asphalt pavement used by CalTrans to 50%.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 812 was never heard in Assembly Transportation committee and is dead for the year.

Description. Current law restricts recycled pavement use to a mere 15%, and also prohibits the use of the material for use in the Department of Transportation or Department of General Services projects unless specifically requested. AB 812 increases the permitted percentage of recycled material, but also ensures that departments will maintain control of their projects by allowing the Director of Transportation to make a final determination of how much recycled material will be used based on practicality and cost factors.

According to CalRecycle’s most recent Waste Characterization Study, California sends over 600,000 tons of concrete and asphalt paving to landfills every year, and AB 812 will help the state divert these materials to a higher and better use. Not only will the environmental impact of road construction be lowered through the use of recycled materials, but also through reducing the amount of petroleum, aggregate resources, and energy used to transport materials long distance to construction sites.

CAW Staff Contacts. Nick Lapis (916) 443-5422

SB 833 (Vargas) - Gregory Canyon Landfill

Summary.  SB 833 would have limited the building of landfills that are within a specific distance of a San Diego waterway or Native American sacred site. Specifically, this legislation would have applied to the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

Governor Brown vetoed SB 833.  Read the veto message.

Description.

This bill would protect the San Luis Rey River, the drinking water aquifers it feeds, and sacred Native American sites in northern San Diego County by making it illegal to build or operate a landfill within 1,000 feet of those sensitive resources. The bill would apply only to new landfills and not existing, permitted landfills or any expansion of an existing, permitted landfill.

CAW Staff Contacts. Nick Lapis (916) 443-5422

Senator Juan Vargas State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

SB 489 (Wolk) - Net Energy Metering

Summary.  SB 489 will foster the development of anaerobic digesters and other small renewable energy projects by allowing them to be included in the state's Net Energy Metering program.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

SB 489 was signed by the Governor

Description.

From the California Climate & Agriculture Network:

By proposing to allow all qualified renewable energy types under the Net Energy Metering (NEM) Program, SB 489 will help the state reach its distributed generation, renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions goals, while spurring economic development.

By allowing participation in NEM, SB 489 will allow agricultural businesses to more easily and economically convert their agricultural byproducts into clean, renewable energy and to off-set their electricity use. Moreover, SB 489 will help reduce the need for new fossil fuel power plants and transmission infrastructure.

As the country’s largest agricultural state, California has significant opportunities to develop innovative, small-scale bio-energy and other renewable energy projects, but policy barriers have limited these innovations.

AB 408 (Wieckowski) - Paint and Used Oil Recycling

Summary. AB 408 provides regulatory reform to make paint and used oil recycling easier.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 408 was signed into law by the Governor.

AB 408 (Wieckowski) - Paint and Used Oil Recycling

Summary. AB 408 provides regulatory reform to make paint and used oil recycling easier.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 408 was signed into law by the Governor.

AB 794 (Wieckowski) - Strengthening CA's Landmark E-waste Law

Summary. AB 794 would close a loophole in current e-waste law and protect the state against frivolous lawsuit.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 794 is heading to the Senate Floor.*update: AB 794 was gutted and amended and is now local facility bonds.

SB 419 (Simitian) - Home-Generated Medical Sharps

Summary. SB 419 requires medical sharps manufacturers to improve electronic access to their annual sharps disposal reports.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

SB 419 is no longer active this year.

AB 921 (Allen) - Compost Study Bill

Summary.  AB 921 directs the state to measure the significant agricultural water efficiency benefits of applying compost to croplands.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 921 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 5/27 and it is dead for the year.

AB 525 (Gordon) - Tire Recycling

Summary AB 525 (Gordon) extends CalRecycle's successful Rubberized Asphalt Concrete tire recycling program.

Position and Status CAW Supports. AB 525 just passed both houses and will now head to the Governor.

AB 34 (Williams) Compost Infrastructure Development

Summary. AB 34 targets the most prevalent items in our waste stream by encouraging the development of compost facilities to recycle organic materials.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 34 was held in Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now dead for the year.

SB 567 (DeSaulnier) - Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics

Summary. SB 567 expands the scope of current plastic end-of-life claim labeling requirements from bags and food packaging to all plastic products.

Position and Status.

CAW Supports.

UPDATE: Governor Brown signed SB 567!

AB 818 (Blumenfield) - Renter's Right to Recycle Act

Summary. AB 818, the Renter's Right to Recycle Act, provides a residential recycling opportunity for more than 7.1 million Californians residing in more than 2.4 million multifamily dwelling units.

Position and Status.  CAW Supports.

AB 818 passed the legislature and was signed in to law by Governor Jerry Brown.

(Sample letter sent to the Governor by CAW members)

SB 515 (Corbett) Household Battery Recycling Bill

Summary. Product stewardship for household batteries

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

SB 515 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now a 2-year bill. Previously, it passed out of Senate Environmental Quality Committee  4/4/2011 with a 5-2 vote.

AB 1149 (Gordon and Wieckowski) - Recycled Plastic Market Development

Summary. AB 1149 would extend a January 1, 2012 sunset for the Plastic Market Development program to continue investment in California’s plastics recycling and manufacturing infrastructure. It would also authorize CalRecycle to ‘reinvest’ up to 50% of savings from an anticipated drop in PET processing fee offsets back into Plastic Market Development Payments.

Position and Status. CAW-sponsored.

UPDATE: Governor Brown Signed AB 1149!

SB 568 (Lowenthal) - Polystyrene Food Containers

Summary. SB 568 prohibits food vendors from dispensing cooked food in polystyrene foam or styrofoam containers.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

SB 568 has been placed on the inactive file. Previously it passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 8/25 and was headed next to the Assembly floor for a vote.

AB 960 (Bonnie Lowenthal) - E-waste Export

Summary. AB 960 will help reduce the export of electronic waste overseas.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 960 was held in Senate Appropriations and is now a 2 year bill.

AB 298 (Brownley) - Reusable Bag Bill

Summary. AB 298 prohibits manufacturers from selling or distributing reusable bags to customers unless they meet certain requirements.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 298 is no longer active this year. It is in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee after passing the Assembly Floor on 4/28, 49-25. Previously, it passed out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on 3/21 and the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 4/6.