State Air Resources Board: gasoline specifications: ethanol blends., the official text

An act to add Section 43013.7 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to motor vehicle fuels, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt and implement motor vehicle fuel specifications for the control of air contaminants and sources of air pollution. Existing law prohibits the state board from adopting any regulation that establishes a specification for motor vehicle fuel unless that regulation, and a multimedia evaluation conducted by affected agencies and coordinated by the state board, are reviewed by the California Environmental Policy Council.
This bill would, notwithstanding that prohibition, authorize blends of gasoline containing 10.5% to 15% ethanol by volume to be sold in the state for use as a transportation fuel until (1) the California Environmental Policy Council completes its review of those blends and (2) the state board either adopts a regulation establishing a specification for those blends or posts an assessment on its internet website demonstrating that it is not possible for a regulation establishing a specification for those blends to meet specified requirements.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Section 43013.7 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
43013.7.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 43830.8, blends of gasoline containing 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol by volume may be sold in the state for use as a transportation fuel until both of the following occur:
(1) The California Environmental Policy Council completes its review and publicly posts its findings of the multimedia evaluation for blends of gasoline containing 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol by volume required pursuant to Section 43830.8.
(2) The state board does either of the following:
(A) Adopts a regulation establishing a specification for blends of gasoline containing 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol by volume.
(B) Posts an assessment on its internet website demonstrating that it is not possible for a proposed regulation establishing a specification for blends of gasoline containing 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol by volume to meet the requirements of subdivision (f) of Section 43830.8.
(b) This section shall not be construed to limit the authority of the state board to adopt and enforce transportation fuel specifications for other fuels, or for blends of gasoline containing 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol by volume after the state board takes action pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).

SEC. 2.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
In order to develop solutions to help reduce the price of gasoline in California as soon as possible, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.