BILL NUMBER: SB 804INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Lara FEBRUARY 22, 2013 An act to amend Section 25620.8 of, and to add Section 40005 to, the Public Resources Code, relating to solid waste. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 804, as introduced, Lara. Solid waste: energy. (1) Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to submit an annual report to the Legislature by March 31 of each year regarding awards made pursuant to the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration Program. This bill would require the energy commission to include in the annual report that is due by March 31, 2015, an analysis of the opportunities for utilizing waste conversion technologies. (2) The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, which is administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, requires each city, county, and regional agency, if any, to develop a source reduction and recycling element of an integrated waste management plan. This bill would make a statement of legislative intent regarding the development of waste conversion technology facilities. 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. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish clear definitions in statute that promote the highest and best use of resources while supporting the state's key environmental goals, including the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code), the low-carbon fuel standards adopted by the State Air Resources Board in Subarticle 7 (commencing with Section 95480) of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, and greenhouse gas reduction goals, as provided in Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code. (b) The state's "Bioenergy Action Plan" has identified municipal solid waste as a substantiality underutilized resource for biomass feedstock that could produce renewable fuels and energy. (c) Around the world, advanced solid waste conversion technologies are being used to process postrecycled, residual waste to divert materials from landfills and recover a variety of marketable products from those residuals, including clean-burning fuels, chemicals, construction materials, soil amendments, and electricity. SEC. 2. Section 25620.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 25620.8. (a) The commission shall prepare and submit to the Legislature an annual report, not later than March 31 of each year, on awards made pursuant to this chapter and progress toward achieving the goals set forth in Section 25620.1. The report shall include information on the names of award recipients, the amount of awards, and the types of projects funded, an evaluation of the success of funded projects, and recommendations for improvements in the program. The report shall set forth the actual costs of programs or projects funded by the commission, the results achieved, and how the actual costs and results compare to the expected costs and benefits. The commission shall establish procedures for protecting confidential or proprietary information and shall consult with all interested parties in the preparation of the annual report. (b) The commission shall include, in the annual report due not later than March 31, 2015, an analysis of the opportunities for utilizing waste conversion technologies, to achieve the goals set forth in Section 25620.1. SEC. 3. Section 40005 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read: 40005. The Legislature finds and declares that, to spur economic development, promote environmental justice by managing residual waste near where it is generated, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease pollution, groundwater contamination, and other environmental impacts associated with solid waste disposal, and reduce the state's dependence on landfill disposal, it is the intent of the Legislature to examine the development of solid waste conversion technology facilities to manage the residual solid waste that cannot feasibly be recycled or composted.