SB 1046: Organic waste reduction: program environmental impact report: small and medium compostable material handling facilities or operations.

Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to adopt regulations to achieve specified organic waste reduction goals and to analyze the progress that the waste sector, state government, and local governments have made in achieving those reduction goals, as provided. Existing law authorizes the department to include incentives or additional requirements in specified regulations to facilitate progress towards achieving the organic waste reduction goals if the department determines that significant progress has not been made.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect, as provided. Existing regulations describe the advantages and uses of a program environmental impact report.

This bill would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to prepare and certify, by January 1, 2027, a program environmental impact report that streamlines the process with which jurisdictions can develop and site small and medium compostable material handling facilities or operations, as defined, for processing organic material, as specified.