Schwarzenegger Kills California RoHS expansion

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill A.B. 48, sending it back to the California legislature saying it “purports to impose restrictions similar to those already in place in the European Union, but the deviations it takes from the European Union approach are fatally flawed.”

Schwarzenegger specifically pointed to the bill’s provisions for spare parts and refurbished products, saying the current bill will make many electronic products prematurely obsolete and force their retirement years earlier than necessary.

California current has a RoHS-like bill in place, named California RoHS that went into effect in January of this year. California RoHS is similar to the European Union’s RoHS directive. The new bill, A.B. 48, expands the reach of California RoHS. Experts in RoHS legislation believe the legislature may try to get this legislation passed again.