Bill Text: NJ A5237 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DEP to study impact of Cannabis production and processing on air quality.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [A5237 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5237-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DEP to study impact of Cannabis production and processing on air quality.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to study the impact of Cannabis production and processing on air quality.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. No later than 12 months after the effective date of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection shall conduct a study to assess the impact the production and processing of plants in the genus Cannabis may have on air quality in the State. The study shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) an assessment of the release of any volatile organic compounds or other pollutants that may occur during the production or processing of Cannabis plants;
(2) the differences in the quantity of pollutants released between different species and varieties of Cannabis plants, and between different cultivation and processing practices;
(3) whether producers or processors may be required to apply for a permit under the "Air Pollution Control Act (1954)," P.L.1954, c.212 (C.26:2C-1 et seq.);
(4) the mitigation measures that producers or processors of Cannabis plants may take to reduce or eliminate the emission of pollutants;
(5) the impact an expansion of Cannabis production and processing may have on the State's emissions goals under the "Global Warming Response Act," P.L.2007, c.112 (C.26:2C-37 et al.); and
(6) any legislative or regulatory recommendations for reducing the impact that Cannabis production and processing may have on air quality.
b. The Department of Environmental Protection shall prepare and submit a report describing the results of the study to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) no later than 12 months after commencing the study.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 60 days after the Department of Environmental Protection submits a report pursuant to section 1 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (department) to study the impact an increase in production and processing of plants in the genus Cannabis in the State may have on air quality. Plants in the genus Cannabis include hemp, medical marijuana, and recreational marijuana varieties, and scientific literature has suggested that Cannabis production and processing may release volatile organic compounds into the air.
This bill would require the department to study: (1) the release of any volatile organic compounds or other pollutants that may occur during the production or processing of Cannabis plants; (2) the differences in the quantity of pollutants released between different species and varieties of Cannabis plants, and between different cultivation and processing practices; (3) whether producers or processor may be required to apply for a permit under the State's "Air Pollution Control Act;" (4) the mitigation measures that producers or processors of Cannabis plants may take to reduce or eliminate the emission of pollutants; (5) the impact an expansion of Cannabis production and processing may have on the State's emissions goals under the "Global Warming Response Act;" and (6) any legislative or regulatory recommendations for reducing the impact that Cannabis production and processing may have on air quality.
The bill would require the department to submit a report describing the results of the study to the Governor and the Legislature. The act would expire 60 days after submission of the report.
