CSAC submitted a public comment letter to Cal Recycle in response
to recently proposed changes to its SB 1383 Organic Waste
Diversion regulations. CSAC has been actively engaged in this
regulatory process since the passage of SB 1383 (Lara) in 2016.
The recently released text did include several changes that will
benefit counties, however CSAC has ongoing concerns regarding the
implementation of the proposed regulations and the heavy cost
burden that will ultimately be borne by local rate payers.
After an intense week of advocacy,
AB 1054 (Holden) passed through the Legislature and now heads
to Governor Newsom for signature. The bill is a comprehensive
package of policies that protects the rights of fire victims,
creates additional safety and oversight measures for utilities
and ensures utilities are held accountable for the safety of
their systems.
Cal Recycle released an updated version of its SB 1383
Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Regulations for a 15-day public
comment period. The public comment period is open now and closes
on July 5at 5 p.m. These regulations will
require individual local jurisdictions, including counties, to
require residents to separate and sort their own organic waste
and pass a series of local ordinances by January 2022 to
implement and enforce a state wide organic waste diversion
program.
CSAC has been actively monitoring and taking positions on dozens
of pieces of wildfire and public safety related legislation. Many
of these bills failed to pass out of their house of origin at the
deadline, however many bills are still moving that could have a
significant impact on outcome in future disasters.
CalRecycle will present a new revised draft of the SB 1383
Short-Lived Climate Pollutants regulations at a public workshop
on June 18, 2019 in Diamond Bar, California. This workshop will
also be webcast. A 15-day formal public comment period will begin
the following day and run from June 19 – July 3. CSAC will
prepare and submit comments during the comment period with input
from our member counties. Please find information about how to
submit comments and how to participate in the Public Workshop
below.
CSAC recently submitted comments to the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) regarding De-Energization
proceeding R.18-12-005. On April 26, the CPUC issued a
Proposed Decision for these Public Safety Power Shutoff
(PSPS) de-energization procedures, which incorporated feedback
from CSAC and other interested parties.
FEMA announced the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post
Fire program as part of the agency’s implementation of the
Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) of 2018. Section 1204 of the
DRRA allows FEMA to provide HMGP Post Fire assistance to any area
that received a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)
declaration on or after October 5, 2018. In previous fiscal
years, funding for this program has been provided through
appropriations. Now, it is a permanent, eligible HMGP program of
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act.
The CSAC AENR Policy Committee recently met at the Legislative
Conference in Sacramento on April 25. The meeting covered a
variety of topics including wildfire liability, cannabis, and
California’s looming recycling crisis.
The Commission on
Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery met in Ventura County
this week to continue their efforts in developing recommendations
to the Legislature on how best to socialize the costs associated
with catastrophic wildfire. The Commission heard expert testimony
on a number of topics, and CSAC testified on several panels
addressing issues related to utility liability, the creation of a
wildfire fund and community wildfire mitigation.
The Department of Conservation has $950,000 for
local and regional planning grants to support the
integration of natural and working lands, specifically
agricultural lands, into local and regional planning documents.
This funding was made available through Proposition 68 – The
California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate Coastal Protection, and
Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018.
The California Office of Emergency Services is working on
statewide outreach plan regarding public safety power shutoff
events. They are holding several listening sessions to
gather input from local government officials to help shape
planned outreach and education efforts. The next listening
session will take place on April 19 at 10 a.m.
The agenda for the meeting can be found
here.
