Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: recycling infrastructure projects.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as a part of the market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, with additional moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that may be appropriated to the department, to administer a grant program to provide financial assistance, in the form of grants, incentive payments, contracts, or other funding mechanisms, to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by promoting the in-state development of infrastructure, food waste prevention, or other projects to reduce organic waste or to process organic and other recyclable materials into new value-added products. Existing law specifies eligible uses that qualify for in-state infrastructure projects or other projects that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as part of these funding mechanisms. Existing law specifies eligible infrastructure projects that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This bill would additionally specify as an eligible use for in-state infrastructure projects or other projects that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases activities that expand and improve waste diversion and recycling, including the recovery of food for human consumption and food waste prevention. The bill would additionally specify that eligible infrastructure projects that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases include the expansion of facilities for the processing of recyclable materials and projects to improve the quality of recycled materials.