AB 70: Solid waste: organic waste: diversion: biomethane.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

(1)The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 generally regulates solid waste disposal, management, and recycling. The act requires each city, county, and regional agency to develop a source reduction and recycling element of an integrated waste management plan. The act requires that element to include a 50% solid waste diversion requirement, as specified, and provides that up to 10% may be achieved through biomass conversion under certain conditions, with biomass conversion defined as the production of heat, fuels, or electricity by certain means from specified materials. One of the conditions for using biomass conversion to satisfy a portion of the solid waste diversion requirement is that pyrolysis not be included in the source reduction and recycling element. Pyrolysis is not defined for that purpose or for other purposes in the act.

This bill would define pyrolysis for purposes of the act as the thermal decomposition of material at elevated temperatures in the absence or near absence of oxygen.

(2)Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to adopt regulations, as specified, to achieve specified reductions in the organic waste disposed of in landfills. The department’s regulations provide for, among other things, the calculation by the department of recovered organic waste product procurement targets for each local jurisdiction and a list of eligible recovered organic waste products for purposes of the procurement targets.

This bill would require the department, no later than January 1, 2027, to amend those regulations to include, as a recovered organic waste product attributable to a local jurisdiction’s procurement target, pipeline biomethane converted exclusively from organic waste, as specified.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 42652.5 of the Public Resources Code proposed by AB 786 to be operative only if this bill and AB 786 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. October 13, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 678, Statutes of 2025.
2. October 13, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 23, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
4. September 11, 2025Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3287.).
5. September 10, 2025In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
6. September 10, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2823.).
7. September 8, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
8. September 5, 2025Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
9. September 3, 2025Ordered to third reading.
10. September 3, 2025From special consent calendar.
11. September 2, 2025Ordered to special consent calendar.
12. August 29, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.