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AB-2758 Southern Los Angeles: ocean dumpsites: chemical waste.(2021-2022)



Current Version: 06/30/22 - Amended Senate

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AB2758:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  June 30, 2022
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 19, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2758

Introduced by Assembly Member Members O’Donnell and Muratsuchi

February 18, 2022

An act to add and repeal Part 4.8 (commencing with Section 71380) of Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental protection.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2758, as amended, O’Donnell. Southern Los Angeles: ocean dumpsites: chemical waste.
Existing law establishes the California Environmental Protection Agency, under the supervision of the Secretary for Environmental Protection, consisting of various departments, boards, and offices, and vests the agency with authority over various environmental matters.
This bill would require the California Environmental Protection Agency, until January 1, 2027, to hold at least 4 public meetings per year, with the first meeting occurring on or before March 31, 2023, to, among other things, provide members of the public with current information on the agency’s efforts to study and mitigate DDT and other chemical waste located at Dumpsite-1 and Dumpsite-2 off the coast of Los Angeles. The bill would require the agency, on or before June 30, 2025, to report to the Legislature with policy recommendations on how to further mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic chemical waste deposits at or from the dumpsites, as provided.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Part 4.8 (commencing with Section 71380) is added to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

PART 4.8. Southern Los Angeles Chemical Waste

71380.
 For purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:
(a) “DDT” means dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or any metabolite or byproduct thereof, including, but not limited to, 1,1-dichloro-2-2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD).
(b) “Dumpsite-1” means the waters of the San Pedro Basin, off the coast of Los Angeles, approximately 10 nautical miles northwest of Catalina Island, where chemical waste, including, but not limited to, DDT, was known to be dumped and has been detected.
(c) “Dumpsite-2” means the waters of the San Pedro Basin, off the coast of Los Angeles, where chemical waste, including, but not limited to, DDT, has been detected.
(d) “Southern California Bight” means the open embayment of the Pacific Ocean bounded on the east by the reach of the North American coastline extending from Point Conception, California, to Cabo Colnett, Baja California, Mexico, and on the west by the California Current, within which 14 known historic dumpsites for chemical waste exist.

71381.
 The California Environmental Protection Agency shall do all of the following:
(a) Convene at least four public meetings per year, with the first public meeting occurring on or before March 31, 2023. The agency shall do both of the following at these meetings:
(1) Provide members of the public with current information on the agency’s efforts to study and mitigate DDT and other chemical waste at Dumpsite-1 and Dumpsite-2.
(2) Receive input from the public through written and oral oral and written comments regarding dumped chemical waste and its effects on the Southern California Bight.
(b) Request representatives from relevant federal, state, and local agencies to attend the public meetings convened pursuant to subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Natural Resources Agency.
(c) Hold the meetings convened pursuant to subdivision (a) in areas with coastlines that are reasonably close to Dumpsite-1 and Dumpsite-2.

71382.
 (a) On or before June 30, 2025, the California Environmental Protection Agency shall, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, report to the Legislature with policy recommendations on how to further mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic chemical waste deposits at or from Dumpsite-1 and Dumpsite-2, with a focus on those that impact the Southern California Bight.
(b) In developing the report required pursuant to this section, the agency shall consider all of the following:
(1) The impact of policy recommendations on the environment, local communities, Indigenous cultures, and public health.
(2) The technical and financial feasibility of the policy recommendations.
(3) The impact on the environment, local communities, Indigenous cultures, and public health if no action is taken to mitigate the effects of chemical waste at Dumpsite-1 and Dumpsite-2.

71383.
 This part shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed.