California legislature moves to further criminalize grease theft

In California, the legislature has passed a bill to boost criminal penalties for grease theft. The state has grappled with a rise in used cooking oil theft as the biofuel industry has developed. The penalties are currently so minor that thefts aren’t even worth responding to for many law enforcement agencies. But according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, a typical fast-food restaurant produces 150-250 pounds of grease a week and a fully loaded pumper truck could bring inasmuch as $900 at a recycling center.

“The price increases stemming from this new demand will make grease theft a more lucrative crime in the coming years,” said the bill’s author, Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena. “AB1566 provides law enforcement with the tools to combat grease theft and protect the burgeoning biofuels market by beefing up requirements for licensed haulers, increasing the penalties for stealing grease and allowing law enforcement to impound vehicles for up to 15 days.”