42999.2.
(a) The department shall administer, until January 1, 2028, a woody biomass rural county collection and disposal pilot program. Pursuant to the program, the department shall award funding to rural counties for the purpose of conducting community collection days on which individuals can dispose of woody biomass free of charge.(b) A rural county may apply to the department for funding to conduct community collection days pursuant to the program. If a rural county is awarded funding under the program, it shall contract with a local compost facility, mulch production facility, or biomass conversion facility to collect biomass at a specific location in the county on those community collection days and to process or convert the collected biomass in a way that results in less greenhouse gas emitted than if the biomass had been disposed of.
(c) Woody biomass shall be the focus of community collection days, however all source-separated biomass shall be accepted for collection. A participating rural county shall not charge or pass on any costs to an individual for the collection and conversion of biomass, including woody biomass, at a community collection day event.
(d) (1) When awarding funding under the program, the department shall give priority to projects with the highest greenhouse gas emissions reductions and ensure that funding is available for each of the five years of the program.
(2) The department may use up to 5 percent of the program moneys for administration of the program, including fulfilling the reporting requirement pursuant to subdivision (e).
(e) The department shall, by March 1, 2028, report to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code all of the following program information:
(1) The number of rural counties awarded funding.
(2) The amount of funding awarded to each participating rural county.
(3) The amount of biomass collected for conversion at community collection days.
(4) The estimated amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided by the program.
(f) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Participating rural county” means a rural county that has been awarded funding under the program by the department.
(2) “Rural county” means a county with a total population of less than 250,000.
(g) On or before July 1, 2023, the department shall adopt criteria to determine how to give priority to projects with the highest greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as specified in subdivision (d).
(h) This section shall become inoperative on March 1, 2029, and, as of January 1, 2030, is repealed.