Existing law requires the Secretary for Environmental Protection to convene the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group to review, and advise the Legislature on, policies pertaining to the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion vehicle batteries sold with motor vehicles in the state. Existing law also requires the advisory group to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature aimed at ensuring that as close to 100% as possible of lithium-ion vehicle batteries in the state are reused or recycled at end of life in a safe and cost-effective manner.

The hazardous waste control laws require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to regulate the handling and management of hazardous waste. A violation of the hazardous waste control laws is a crime.

This bill would require a battery supplier, as defined, to be responsible for, among other duties, ensuring the responsible end-of-life management of a vehicle traction battery if it is removed from a vehicle that is still in service, as provided, or if the vehicle traction battery is offered or returned to its battery supplier, and reporting information regarding the sale, transfer, or receipt of a vehicle traction battery or battery module to the department, as provided. The bill would impose related duties on a secondary user, as defined, and a secondary handler, as defined, including, among other duties, ensuring the responsible end-of-life management for a vehicle traction battery or returning a vehicle traction battery to the battery supplier, and reporting information regarding the sale, transfer, or receipt of a vehicle traction battery or battery module to the department, as provided. The bill would also require an auctioneer, as defined, and salvage disposal auction, as defined, to report similar information regarding a vehicle traction battery to the department.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.