LG Library: Policy

Board Limitations on Correcting or Establishing New Base Years

At its January 25–26, 2000 meeting, the California Integrated Waste Management Board reconsidered its previously approved methods to correct base year inaccuracies. On March 26, 1997, the Board had approved a variety of methods to make these corrections.

The Board decided to reconsider the use of these methods because as time goes on, it is not only increasingly difficult for jurisdictions to make well-documented historic correction estimates for old generation data, but it is also more problematic for Board staff to determine the validity of the claims. The Board did not make any changes to the actual calculation methods that had been previously approved, but it did set some time limitations on when they could be used. A downloadable version of the resolution (No. 1999-38) (MS Word 97, 25 KB) setting forth these limitations is summarized below.

Summary of Board Limitations on Correcting or Establishing New Base Years

In the future, the Board will not allow corrections to any Board-approved base-year disposal or diversion tonnage amount that is more than three calendar years old. For example, if a jurisdiction establishes a new 2000 base year, the Board will not consider a request for a correction to that base year after calendar year 2003.  Exceptions will be made for jurisdictions that:

• Submitted a formal request with all supporting documentation for a base-year correction before March 31, 2000;

• Submitted a request in conjunction with their 1997 or 1998 annual report by January 25, 2000; or

• Are currently on Board-issued compliance orders for data problems.

The Board has developed a Diversion Study Guide to help jurisdictions with information and tools to calculate new base years. The Board’s local assistance staff has developed a series of Board Approved Templates to assist jurisdictions when claiming changes to Board-approved base-year disposal or diversion amounts, when claiming changes to reporting-year disposal amounts, when using alternate adjustment factors to calculate an annual diversion rate, or when establishing a new base year. 

If you have questions about the above limitations, please contact your local assistance staff representative at (916) 341-6199.

Last updated: October 26, 2007