Bill > SB811

This bill establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework for metal shredding facilities—industrial sites that use heavy machinery like hammer mills to process end-of-life vehicles and appliances for recycling—shifting their oversight away from traditional hazardous waste laws and into a dedicated program administered by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). Under the new scheme, operators must obtain a 10-year permit from the DTSC, submit detailed operational plans covering fire prevention, housekeeping, and facility closure, and provide financial assurances for potential environmental liabilities and third-party damages. The legislation mandates strict operational standards, including limits on the size and duration of material stockpiles, inbound material screening to prevent the acceptance of hazardous items like batteries and explosives, and continuous monitoring for fires and emissions. Furthermore, the bill creates a dedicated Metal Shredding Facility Subaccount to collect annual regulatory fees from facility operators to cover the administrative and oversight costs of the DTSC, the Board of Environmental Safety, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, while also granting the DTSC robust inspection and enforcement powers, including the authority to issue penalties, require corrective actions, and mandate annual compliance evaluations.