The Legislature hereby finds and declares as follows:
(a)
California currently faces a serious problem with respect to the collection, disposal, and recycling of used tires that are no longer consumer usable.
(b)
It is estimated that California has an existing tire inventory of at least 100 million tires, an amount which grows by over 20 million tires per year.
(c)
California has pursued several methods of tire disposal including, but not limited to, shredding and as an additive to asphalt for paving material.
(d)
The cement industry in California has implemented a process that utilizes used tires as fuel for the kilns essential to the manufacture of cement.
(e)
Used tires utilized as fuel for those kilns are completely consumed, including the rubber, fiber, and steel ingredients of the tire.
(f)
The use of used tires in that process benefits California by reducing reliance on fossil fuel imported from outside the state.
(g)
The consumption of used tires rather than fossil fuel for the kilns may reduce air pollution and may contribute to the improvement of air quality.