AB-70 • 2026

Solid waste: organic waste: diversion: biomethane.

Energy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Aguiar-Curry
Last action: 2025-10-13
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 678, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on how the inclusion of pipeline biomethane will directly affect cities, counties, and regional agencies in terms of reducing organic waste disposal.

Organic Waste Management: Biomethane

This law defines pyrolysis for waste management plans and requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to include pipeline biomethane made from organic waste as a recovered product in local jurisdictions' procurement targets.

What This Bill Does

Defines pyrolysis, which is the thermal decomposition of materials at high temperatures without oxygen, for use in waste management plans.
Requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to amend regulations by January 1, 2027, to include pipeline biomethane converted exclusively from organic waste as a recovered product.

Who It Names or Affects

Cities, counties, and regional agencies in California
The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

Terms To Know

Pyrolysis: Thermal decomposition of materials at high temperatures without oxygen.
Pipeline biomethane: Biomethane transported through pipelines and made exclusively from organic waste.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much pipeline biomethane must be used.
It depends on future regulations to define exactly what counts as pipeline biomethane for recycling goals.

Bill History

2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 678, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-23 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2025-09-11 California Legislative Information
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3287.).
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2823.).
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
From special consent calendar.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Ordered to special consent calendar.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-07-14 California Legislative Information
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1895.)
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 23).
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-12 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
2025-03-11 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended.
2025-02-03 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
2025-01-06 California Legislative Information
Read first time.
2024-12-12 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee January 11.
2024-12-11 California Legislative Information
Introduced. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 70, Aguiar-Curry.
Solid waste: organic waste: diversion: biomethane.
(1) The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 generally regulates solid waste disposal, management, and recycling. The act requires each city, county, and regional agency to develop a source reduction and recycling element of an integrated waste management plan. The act requires that element to include a 50% solid waste diversion requirement, as specified, and provides that up to 10% may be achieved through biomass conversion under certain conditions, with biomass conversion defined as the production of heat, fuels, or electricity by certain means from specified materials. One of the conditions for using biomass conversion to satisfy a portion of the solid waste diversion requirement is that pyrolysis not be included in the source reduction and recycling element. Pyrolysis is not defined for that purpose or for other purposes in the act.
This bill would define pyrolysis for purposes of the act as the thermal decomposition of material at elevated temperatures in the absence or near absence of oxygen.
(2) Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to adopt regulations, as specified, to achieve specified reductions in the organic waste disposed of in landfills. The department’s regulations provide for, among other things, the calculation by the department of recovered organic waste product procurement targets for each local jurisdiction and a list of eligible recovered organic waste products for purposes of the procurement targets.
This bill would require the department, no later than January 1, 2027, to amend those regulations to include, as a recovered organic waste product attributable to a
local jurisdiction’s procurement target, pipeline biomethane converted exclusively from organic waste, as specified.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 42652.5 of the Public Resources Code proposed by AB 786 to be operative only if this bill and AB 786 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

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