Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project

1. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Overview Strategic Directive 6.1 Organics Workshop Organics Roadmap Regulatory/Siting ADC Marketing

2. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Process • Findings from CIWMB’s Biofuels Forum and Organics Summit • On-Line Survey emailed to >4000 stakeholders to gather information on barriers (250 responses) • In-Depth Interviews to gain deeper understanding of barriers/solutions (> 50 stakeholders) • Two Workshops to identify key solutions CIWMB could undertake (70 participants)

3. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Team Effort • WCM and Sustainability Programs Extensive Outreach • Sought input from wide range of stakeholders: • Planning directors, local governments, zone administrators, LEAs, RWQCBs, air districts, operators, recycling coordinators, SW authorities, RCRC, CRRA

4. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Barriers Identified • Regulatory/Permitting • Inconsistencies/contradictory goals amongst regulatory entities for air, water, and solid waste, whose regulations pose significant hurdles • Land Use Planning • Community opposition (NIMBY) • Lack of local government planning for increased processing capacity • Economic • Capital costs too high

5. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Solutions • Facilitate Increasing coordination between regulatory entities for air, water, and solid waste in order to achieve following goals: • Consistent regulatory objectives and performance standards, holistic BMPs/BACTs, streamlined permitting, statewide programmatic EIR for diversion facilities, common informational clearinghouse, and research Current Activities: • Working with SJVUAPCD on VOCs/GHG • CIWMB funded Modesto study on VOCs • Central Valley RWQCB EIR for Statewide General Order Digester projects • Interagency compost working group looking at interaction between GHG and VOCs

6. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Solutions • Assist Local Government’s/Applicant’s Ability to Site/Expand • Seek requirement that local SW Mgmt plans account for siting/expanding organic diversion facilities • Develop tools (e.g., central web site with links to other agencies that gives process, case studies, contacts, guidance on CT) Current Activities: • Infrastructure Baseline Inventory, including organic diversion facilities, includes capacity/location • CIWMB CT Guidance • Permit Guidance Manual for anaerobic digestion projects • Lifecycle analysis for BMPs

7. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Solutions • Improve CIWMB regulations • Received support to continue review of CIWMB regulations, including: • ADC • Food waste composting • Beneficial use issues • Tiering limits on farms and ranches • 3-part test • Adding new regulations relative to CT

8. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Solutions • Provide Economic Incentives for organics processing infrastructure • Low interest loans/debt financing/fee for service/private partnership for existing facilities to upgrade to meet new rules from air districts and RWQCBs, and for demonstrations of new technology • Provide funding from ADC fee for siting/expansion to address new regulatory requirements

9. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Key Solutions • Education/Outreach • Personalize benefits of organic diversion to regulatory entities, decision makers, and public by giving: • Clear picture of environmental & health risk/benefits of organic mgmt facilities, • Range of beneficial uses: improve soil/crops, water conservation, energy production, GHG reduction • Examples of well run facilities and how BMPs and local oversight keep them operating safely • Monetary benefits; trash bill reduction

10. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Other Potential Solutions

11. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Coordination • Seek legislation to create one agency to oversee organic diversion facilities • Define composting as ‘essential public service’ • Develop fund bank of pollution credits for facilities that process organic materials that can be tapped into for siting • Develop a statewide draft waiver • Quantify costs to implement BMPs including alternatives types of handling • Conduct sampling emissions as opposed to full-blown scientific study • Use more performance based BMPs to reduce VOCs with phased rules

12. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project • Coordination • Quantify cost of buying offsets • Conduct life cycle analysis that considers location of facility to point of generation/transportation distance, benefits of organic use • Conduct thorough study of conversion technologies, including the analysis on air quality, technology transfer, and infrastructure analysis • Work with CEC and PUC to develop renewable NRG credits for organics processing • Coordinate and educate other agencies (e.g., CDFA, CEC, PUC and Resources Agency) and stakeholders (e.g., local planners)

13. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Assist Local Governments/Applicants • Require counties or CIWMB conduct waste characterization study on organic types and amounts in waste stream • Establish model organic facilities zones similar to enterprise zones and could be subcategory to agricultural/industrial zoning • Work with CEC and PUC to develop renewable NRG credits for organics processing • Develop statewide programmatic EIR for all organic management options that is multi-agency/multi-media • Seek zoning change to allow all agricultural land to be appropriate zoning for organic based processes for products

14. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Assist Local Governments/Applicants • Seek zoning change to allow all light/heavy industrial zones to be appropriate for transfer/processing, and handling of organics • Create a guidance document covering initial regulatory requirements (1-page) • Develop models or case studies on successful siting, including real world experiences • Develop an integrated computer information system that can be used by all parties to ensure net environmental benefits are achieved and keep track all projects • Develop model software that can be used by stakeholders and provides full cost accounting and includes net environmental benefits

15. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project • Improve CIWMB regulations • Streamline CIWMB permitting process by moving large facilities down a tier • Review restriction on commingled contaminants in incoming greenwaste of 1% or less, which is too restrictive • Change definition for food waste to exempt coffee grounds so they can be applied directly to ag lands or composted at lower tier • Place anaerobic digester facilities that accept food waste and are located at existing POTW at a lesser tier than full SWFP

16. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Improve CIWMB regulations • Broaden/change on farm compliance regulations to allow farmers to bring other materials on-site (i.e., greenwaste) • Redefine residuals for conversion technology, providing more flexibility with 10% (which must be recalculated) and 1% redefined • Place more emphasis on performance based standards • CIWMB staff testify at hearings as technical experts • Conduct or support health studies to assure public that odors do not adversely effect health

17. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project • Provide Economic Incentives for organics processing infrastructure • Investigate funding available through AB 32 • Consider seeking legislation to promoted organic recycling based on CRV model • Provide funding for pilot projects for conversion technology project • CIWMB should charge a per ton fee to offset landfill impacts

18. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project • Education/Outreach • Include as component of education on ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ so people begin to associate organic diversion with the 3Rs • Improve Local and State Enforcement • Regulations need to be enforced making it clear that a facility in compliance is not creating impact, addressing NIMBY. Facilities in compliance would have standards seal of approval

19. Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project Next Steps • Staff will continue refining the list of key solutions and develop a draft work plan • Staff plan on coming back in June to seek direction on the draft work plan