Summary
SB-367 expands the Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program to also include, upon additional funding, public lands.
Background
Under existing law, Cal Recycle works with many local governments to abate the growing trend of illegal dumping across the state. This support and collaboration has resulted in hotlines for reporting illegal dumping, grants for community clean-up, a voucher for disposing of illegal dumping from private land, and more.
Additionally, California created a grant program to address the illegal dumping on farm and ranch lands to help offset the impacts of fees and cleanup on local farmers and ranchers. The Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program provides a $1 million dollar grant a year for counties to apply for funds, then distribute those funds to farmers and ranchers within their county to cleanup illegal dumping and help in the offsetting of fees and cleanup.
With more than 104 million acres of land in California, almost 51 million acres of the state are lands owned, maintained, and kept by the Federal or State Governments. These lands are often remote and hard to access. Counties across the state are reporting rises in illegal dumping activity and these actions are creating environmental issues surrounding soil contamination and water pollution. While local governments are struggling to address the issue within their boundaries, the illegal dumping on the State and Federal lands is increasing as well.
Proposal
SB-367 will simply expand the Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program to also include public lands, continuing in its grant applications and local applications to cover the cleanup of illegal dumping and its associated fees, contingent on expanded funding in the budget.