Existing law vests air pollution control districts and air quality management districts with the primary responsibility for control of air pollution from all sources other than vehicular sources, including from composting facilities. Existing law authorizes every district board to establish, by regulation, a permit system that requires, except as otherwise provided, before any person builds, erects, alters, replaces, operates, or uses any article, machine, equipment, or other contrivance that may cause the issuance of air contaminants, the person to obtain a permit to do so from the air pollution control officer of the district.

Existing law, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, designates the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards as the principal state agencies with authority over matters relating to water quality. Under existing law, the state board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality and prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program established by the federal Clean Water Act and the act.

This bill would require, no later than 30 calendar days after a district or a regional board, as applicable, has received a permit application for a new or revised permit for a compost facility, the district or regional board to determine in writing whether the permit application is complete and correct and to immediately transmit the determination to the applicant for the permit. The bill would further require, no later than 60 calendar days after acceptance of a permit application for a new or revised permit for a compost facility as complete and correct, the district or regional board to conduct a review of the permit and accept or deny the permit. The bill would authorize the district or the regional board to charge each applicant a fee in an amount not to exceed the reasonable amount necessary to provide the services required by the bill. The bill would require the fee to be collected as part of the application fee charged for the permit. By imposing a higher level of service on air pollution control districts and air quality management districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.