Three years ago, California Governor Gavin News, a democratic, signed The most powerful policy of reducing plastic in the country. The legislation, known as SB 54, gave the government recycling agency until 2025 to write rules to reduce the sales of monochrome plastic significantly. At that time, newsom called the law “Pioneer in the stateHe said he said, “He carries responsible pollutants and cut plastic in the source.”
Calrecycle has drafted rules on the implementation of the law since 2022, where it negotiates the details with industrial groups and environmental preachers Merging general reactions. Earlier this month, the ruler’s office unexpectedly rejected the proposed rules of Calrecycle. He told the agency to go Return to the drawing boardLeaving California is not closer to treating the problem of plastic waste management.
“It seems that we have just slapped wet fish,” said Shira Lin, an institution and director of the Safar Waste Organization in Sacramento. His office data on this issue only mysterious indicated concerns about fairness and “reducing costs for small companies and working families.
Newsom has reached eight years such as plastic industry groups-many of which claim publicly to support legislation-complaints behind closed doors about the potential impact of the law. In the absence of a clear explanation from the ruler, many environmental groups suspect that he responded to the pressure of the industry. Lynn said, “Many people were injured,” describing the good effort they put in forming the rules only to be rejected for unclear reasons.
When it passed in 2022, SB 54 was welcomed as the United States.The most comprehensive policy to reduce the sources of plastic wasteAnd “and”Great winIn combating plastic pollution of the oceans. Until 2032, companies have granted their sales within the country to packaging and food programs for one use, according to weight and number of elements, by 25 percent. She also requires her to achieve significantly higher recycling rates-if not collected by $ 500 million.
Calrecycle was responsible for writing more specific rules for law imposing, such as determining the products that apply to them. Another body, known in the language of industry, coordinates as a “product responsibility organization”, the cooperation of companies, and requires plastic producers to become members of the payment, manage a fund of $ 500 million, and ensure that the industry is compatible with the law. A current organization called Circular Action Alliance, which consists of plastic industry representatives, has been appointed as the SB 54 product responsibility organization.
SB gained 54 lands in the California Legislative Council thanks to a more aggressive threat The polling initiativeAnd that had given two plastic producers Least On the implementation of plastic reducing objectives, one -cint tax is placed for each element on plastic producers and distributors, and prohibiting the packaging of polystyrene foodstuffs.
Gety pictures
Supporters ReferendumThat receives the required signature 623,212 to be included in the polling, mostly environmental groups at the base level. The three shepherds of the initiative He agreed to withdraw it In exchange for SB 54, which was preferred by business and industry groups. The US Chemistry Council, for example, said a group of trade and petrochemical – in 2022 that SB 54 was.It is not the perfect legislation to push California towards a circular economy“But that was Better result From the withdrawn polling initiative. The group pledged to “work constructively with legislators and Calrecycle to support the appropriate implementation of SB 54.”
The California Chamber of Commerce said the policy will guarantee “”The long -term policy is for recycling, packaging and packaging“The Plastic Industry Association refused to support SB 54, but it said it was Better than the polling initiative.
However, the industrial groups seemed to bear hope in 2022 that unidentified changes will be made to the legislation. The US Chemistry Council has pledged to “support subsequent legislation to make the necessary improvements to help ensure SB 54 effectively.” The head of the California Chamber of Commerce pointed out that the draft law “allows the legislature to make changes to the proposal in the future,” said California’s round table, head of California in A. Calm joints Legislators must “return to the conversation ready to make changes that can open the doors for a more circular economy.”
After the law was passed, Calrecycles was held Many information sessions And workshops on its upcoming bases, with opportunities to participate from public and plastic producers. Agency The process of setting the official rules began For SB 54 on March 8, 2024 and hold two periods for comment, during which industry groups made notes, throughout that year. CALRECYCLes is over Formulating regulations In the fall, it started in September Notifying industry groups They will happen soon. The bases are scheduled for one year from the beginning of the setting of the rules, on March 8, 2025.
Ben Aline, the democratic Senator who represents parts of Los Angeles and sponsored by SB 54, learned that industrial groups objected to the bases less than a week before the deadline on March 8. He sat with the circular action alliance and reached what he called a “road map” to address their concerns: If industry groups do not object to advanced regulations on the specified date, he and other legislators will pass legislation to make minor changes to the same law and enable Calrecycle to make slight adjustments to the rules that have been spent for a long time to work.
The proposed changes, which were placed in a joint message with Grist, included exemptions to fill biological sciences, less frequent reports than packaging companies, and a more lenient schedule for plastic producers to become members of the product responsibility organization. Allen said he had reached an almost a compromise by the time when the ruler’s office issued his announcement. Allen said: “People did not expect the ruler to retract the formulation regulations,” Allen said. “This was a sudden development.”
The newsom office refused to say whether he had held meetings with business or industry groups, and stressed that delaying the status of the rules will not change the “SB 54 timeline”, and it is assumed that in a reference to the legal deadlines of plastic companies to reduce the amount of packaging they sell and meet certain recycling rates. When he was asked to clarify his costs, a spokesman for the ruler referred to a Evaluation of the organizational impact It was published by Calrecycle last October, which was estimated to comply with the SB 54 compliance for California companies and individuals.
AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli
The report found that companies that sell more than a million dollars of products covered by 54 SB 54 every year, the annual costs will be about 791,000 dollars. Model small companies will see increasing expenses of only $ 309. It may end up paying an average of $ 329 annually by 2032, although the report said that this number is likely to be reduced due to the increases in personal income, as well as health and environmental benefits that total more than $ 40 billion over 10 years.
Allen objected to the NewSom Description of the draft law on entrepreneurs and families. He said that the poem from the draft law is to address an “unacceptable” rise in the cost of collecting waste and pollution management in California, where cities are running Force to Run Increased quantities of plastic garbage.
He added: “We knew that there may be some modest increases in the costs of the consumer, but it would be more than compensating them in the advantages of the price motives in the back end.”
Among the Six Business and Industry Groups, the Ring Alliance was only developed regarding its specific concerns about the proposed Calrecycle bases for SB 54. A spokesman said, “Clarifying producers’ obligations, collecting data to build the program plan, and install timing and sequence issues.” The group said that it “actively participated with the parties concerned” including the ruler’s office, such as Al -Rayeel, and Elin “to address any feasibility concerns and ensure successful implementation of the legislation.”
“We look forward to continuing to participate with all parties to move SB 54 forward,” the spokesman said.
Two groups – the American Chemistry Council and the California Trade Chamber – have sent data confirming its support for SB 54. The California Retail Association, the Retaus Dealers Association, the Plastic Material Industry Association for GRIT requests for suspension, was not responded statement Call to policy makers “to formulate practical and effective regulations that drive economic growth, enhance innovation, and enhance generalization.”
In the absence of a clearer information about the NEWSOM intentions, environmental defenders are concerned that business and industry groups are trying to give up parts of the statute, despite their nominal support in 2022.
“The more they are able to delay the implementation, the more they can file an unreasonable final dates,” said Jennifer Savage, assistant director of California policy in Survrader.
Cosmetic and business makers have already encountered SB 54 Kerfuffle to argue that similar legislation should not be followed up in other judicial states. Last week, more than 100 companies and a group signed letter Politico was obtained by the proposed New York Bill Exhibitions on the basis that “California’s statute will exceed in the main fields, indicating that the effects of the New York proposal will be more severe.”
Allen said the ruler’s office wanted to move “quickly” to complete Calrecycle reviews this summer. This includes the start of another 45 -day year suspension, integrating any changes, and providing final documents to the state Administrative Law Office To ensure that it is clear and legal.
Nick Lapis, director of the invitation to California residents other than the waste, said that his organization will be ready to participate, whatever possible, whether by engaging in a public workshop or by submitting written comments on the draft new rules. It also suggested that the polling initiative withdrawn by environmental scientists when SB 54 has been passed on to the table.
“We are still committed to reassessing all possible ways, including reviving the initiative to allow the voters to report this,” said Cohen.
