Low-embodied carbon building materials: carbon sequestration.

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. Existing law requires the state board, by July 1, 2023, to develop a comprehensive strategy for the state's cement sector to achieve net zero-emissions of greenhouse gases used within the state as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2045. Existing law declares that technological carbon removal strategies, such as direct air capture, direct water capture, and carbon capture utilization and sequestration technologies, in addition to dramatic emissions reductions, will be crucial to successfully averting the worst impacts of climate change. Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency, no later than July 1, 2023, to establish and maintain the California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry for purposes of identifying and listing projects, such as natural and working lands-based carbon sequestration projects and direct air capture projects, in the state that drive climate action on the state's natural and working lands and are seeking funding from state agencies or private entities. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to biennially adopt an integrated energy policy report that contains an overview of major energy trends and issues facing the state, including, but not limited to, supply, demand, pricing, reliability, efficiency, and impacts on public health and safety, the economy, resources, and the environment, and an assessment and forecast of system reliability and the need for resource additions, efficiency, and conservation, as specified. This bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with specified state agencies and other entities, to develop a plan as part of the 2023 Integrated Energy Policy Report to advance low-carbon materials and methods in building and construction projects that details a strategy and recommendations to minimize embodied carbon and maximize carbon sequestration in building materials, as provided. The bill would require the state board to develop an accounting protocol to quantify embodied carbon and carbon sequestration in building materials. Following the adoption of that protocol, the bill would require the Natural Resources Agency to incorporate, as appropriate, projects using low-embodied carbon building materials or carbon sequestration in building materials into the California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry. The bill would require the Office of Planning and Research to evaluate the circumstances in which the use of low-embodied carbon building materials or carbon sequestration in building materials is an acceptable mitigation measure pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. This bill would require a public agency, when determined to be feasible and cost effective by the public agency, to prefer the use of building materials with low-embodied carbon in its bid specifications for its public projects, as specified. The bill would also require a public agency, when determined to be feasible and cost effective by the public agency, to prefer the use of building materials with low-embodied carbon that are produced in California in the bid specifications for its public projects. The bill would define "feasible" for these purposes. To the extent this bill imposes additional duties on local agencies, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.