California Assembly Bill AB1176 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1176AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 2, 2011 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 12, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Williams (Coauthor: Assembly Member Monning) FEBRUARY 18, 2011 An act to amend Sections 14022, 14023, and 14024 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to pesticides. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1176, as amended, Williams. Pesticides: toxic air contaminant. Under existing law, the Director of Pesticide Regulation, upon completion of an evaluation of a pesticide, is required to prepare a report on the health effects of any pesticide determined to be a toxic air contaminant which poses a present or potential hazard to human health due to airborne emission from its use, as specified. This report is required to be made available to the public, as specified. The director is also required to determine, in consultation with specified entities, the need for and appropriate degree of control measures for each pesticide listed as a toxic air contaminant. This bill would require that the  director complete at least one  report  per year  on the health effects of a pesticide  be completed within 180 days after the director's receipt of the evaluation  . This bill would further require that the  director's  written determination regarding control measures for each pesticide  be completed within 180 days after the listing of the pesticide as a toxic air contaminant  and  shall   all findings made by consulting agencies  be made available to the public. Existing law provides that, for those pesticides for which a need for control measures has been determined, the director, in consultation with specified entities, is required to develop control measures designed to reduce emissions sufficiently so that the source will not expose the public to the levels of exposure which may cause or contribute to significant adverse health effects. Existing law provides that, after a public hearing, the director shall adopt, by regulation, control measures, including application of the best practicable control techniques for those pesticides for which a need has been determined. This bill would include pesticides identified by the director as toxic air contaminants within the list of pesticides for which the director is required to develop control measures, as specified above. The bill would specify that the director shall develop the control measures  within 180 days after the completion of the director's written determination of the need for, and appropriate degree of, control measures  for each pesticide listed as a toxic air contaminant. This bill would further provide that the director shall follow specified consultation procedures and shall each year adopt, by regulation, control measures to protect human health with respect to at least 2 pesticides meeting the definition of toxic air contaminant, as specified. Moreover, the bill would provide that the director shall adopt control measures by regulation  no later than 180 days after development of the control measures  , as specified.  The Department of Pesticide Regulation would have no obligation to adopt control measures for specified pesticides if the director, the State Air Resources Board, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concur in writing that there is no need for control measures to protect human health from airborne emission of that specific pesticide.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 14022 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 14022. (a) In consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Air Resources Board, the director shall evaluate the health effects of pesticides which may be or are emitted into the ambient air of California and which may be determined to be a toxic air contaminant which poses a present or potential hazard to human health. Upon request of the State Air Resources Board, the director shall include a pesticide for evaluation. (b) The director shall complete the evaluation of a pesticide within 90 days after receiving the scientific data specified in subdivision (c) from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Air Resources Board. The director may extend the 90-day deadline for a period not to exceed 30 days if the director transmits to the Assembly Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules, for transmittal to the appropriate standing, select, or joint committee of the Legislature, a statement of reasons for extension of the deadline. (c) In conducting this evaluation, the director shall consider all available scientific data, including, but not limited to, relevant data provided by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Department of Industrial Relations, international and federal health agencies, private industry, academic researchers, and public health and environmental organizations. At the request of the director, the State Air Resources Board shall document the level of airborne emissions and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall provide an assessment of related health effects of pesticides which may be determined to pose a present or potential hazard and each agency shall provide technical assistance to the department as it conducts its evaluation. (d) The director may request, and any person shall provide, information on any substance which is or may be under evaluation and which is manufactured, distributed, or used by the person to whom the request is made, in order to carry out his or her responsibilities pursuant to this chapter. Any person providing information pursuant to this subdivision shall, at the request of the director, identify that portion of the information submitted to the department which is a trade secret and, upon the request of the director, shall provide documentation to support the claim of the trade secret. Information supplied which is a trade secret, as specified in Section 6254.7 of the Government Code, and which is so marked at the time of submission shall not be released to the public by the director, except in accordance with Section 1060 of the Evidence Code and Section 21160 of the Public Resources Code. (e) The director shall give priority to the data requests and the evaluation and regulation of substances based on factors related to the risk of harm to public health, amount or potential amount of emissions, manner of usage of the pesticide in California, persistence in the atmosphere, and ambient concentrations in the community. SEC. 2. Section 14023 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 14023. (a) Upon completion of the evaluation conducted pursuant to Section 14022, the director shall, in consultation and with the participation of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, prepare a report on the health effects of the pesticide which may be determined to be a toxic air contaminant which poses a present or potential hazard to human health due to airborne emission from its use. The report shall assess the availability and quality of data on health effects, including potency, mode of action, and other relevant biological factors, of the substance. The report shall also contain an estimate of the levels of exposure which may cause or contribute to adverse health effects and, in the case where there is no threshold of significant adverse health effects, the range of risk to humans, resulting from current or anticipated exposure. The report shall include the findings of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The  report shall be completed within 180 days after the director's completion of the evaluation conducted pursuant to Section 14022 and shall be made   director shall complete at least one report per year, and shall make the report  available to the public, subject to subdivision (d) of Section 14022. (b) The report prepared pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be formally reviewed by the scientific review panel established according to Section 39670 of the Health and Safety Code. The director shall also make available the data deemed necessary to the scientific review panel, according to departmental procedures established to ensure confidentiality of proprietary information. The panel shall review, as appropriate, the scientific data on which the report is based, the scientific procedures and methods used to support the data, and the conclusions and assessments on which the report is based. The panel shall submit its written findings to the director within 45 days after receiving the report, but it may petition the director for an extension of the deadline, which may not exceed 15 working days. (c) If the scientific review panel determines that the health effects report is seriously deficient, the report shall be returned to the director who shall revise and resubmit the report, within 30 days following receipt of the panel's determination, to the panel prior to development of emission control measures. (d) Within 10 working days following receipt of the findings of the scientific review panel pursuant to subdivision (b), the director shall prepare a hearing notice and a proposed regulation which shall include the proposed determination as to whether a pesticide is a toxic air contaminant. After conducting a public hearing pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the director shall list, by regulation, pesticides determined to be toxic air contaminants. (e) The director shall determine, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the State Air Resources Board, and the air pollution control districts or air quality management districts in the affected counties, the need for and appropriate degree of control measures for each pesticide listed as a toxic air contaminant pursuant to subdivision (d). Any person may submit written information for consideration by the director in making determinations on control measures. The  director's  written  determination shall be completed within 180 days after listing a pesticide as a toxic air contaminant and that written determination   determination  and all findings made by the consulting agencies shall be made available to the public.  SEC. 2.   SEC. 3.  Section 14024 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 14024. (a) For pesticides identified by the director as toxic air contaminants described in subdivision (b) of Section 14021 and for those pesticides for which a need for control measures has been determined pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 14023 and pursuant to provisions of this code, the director, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the agricultural commissioners, air pollution control districts, and air quality management districts in the affected counties, shall develop  , within 180 days after the completion of the director's written determination pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 14023,  control measures designed to reduce emissions sufficiently so that the source will not expose the public to the levels of exposure which may cause or contribute to significant adverse health effects.  It is presumed that exposures above Reference Concentrations established in a report completed pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, of Section 14023 may cause or contribute to significant adverse health effects. Where   If  no demonstrable safe level or threshold of significant adverse health effects has been established by the director, the control measures shall be designed to adequately prevent an endangerment of public health through the application of best practicable control techniques. (b) Best practicable control techniques may include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Label amendments. (2) Applicator training. (3) Restrictions on use patterns or locations. (4) Changes in application procedures. (5) Reclassification as a restricted material. (6) Cancellation. (c) The director shall follow the consultation procedures set forth in subdivision (a) and shall each year adopt, by regulation, control measures to protect human health with respect to at least two pesticides meeting the definition of a toxic air contaminant, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 14021. The director shall give priority to the regulation of a pesticide meeting the definition of a toxic air contaminant, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 14021,  and to those pesticides for which a need for control measures has been determined pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 14023,  based on the pesticide's risk of harm to the public health, the amount or potential amount of emissions of the pesticide in any community or statewide, the manner and quantity of usage of the pesticide in any community or statewide, and the ambient concentrations of the pesticide in any community or statewide.  The department has no obligation to adopt control measures for any specific pesticide described in subdivision (b) of Section 14021 if the director, the State Air Resources Board, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concur in writing that there is no need for control measures to protect human health from airborne emission of that specific pesticide. (d) After conducting a public hearing pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,  and no later than 180 days after the development of control measures required by subdivision (a), the   the  director shall, notwithstanding any timelines imposed by Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, adopt, by regulation, control measures, including application of the best practicable control techniques enumerated in subdivision (b) or any other best applicable control technique, for those pesticides for which a need has been determined.